From One Life to Another
by Li the Twilight Knight
Summary: When 17-year-old L begins to remember bits of a past life, how will he react when he meets the one who killed him? And with the Shinigami once more interfering in the human world, can he find it in himself to face the threat of Kira again?
1. Raven

Chapter 1: Raven

When Lawliet Corbeau was born, there was nothing particularly odd about him as a child. He grew up with pale skin, an unruly mop of dark hair, obsidian eyes, and a star-shaped birthmark over his heart. It was April 3rd when he was born, in the year 2010, and his parents were happy to have him. They loved him dearly, as he was their only child.

Their family lived in France, just outside of Lyon. Lawliet grew up as any normal child would, happily. He did well in school, easily surpassing the other students and making near-perfect grades. In his free time, he studied the Kira case, a string of mysterious murders stretching over six years, ending a mere three months before he was born. There was a point in time where Kira had held nearly the entire world under his thrall, and Lawliet was fascinated. How one person could have so much power was beyond him. But like so many others who craved ultimate power, Kira eventually fell, killed under unclear circumstances outside a warehouse in Japan. But for a while, he must have had what he wanted. Control.

Lawliet knew that there couldn't be a 'perfect world' as Kira had envisioned it. Humanity would never allow for such a thing. No matter how many criminals Kira had killed, there would always be the arrogant people who truly believed they would not be caught. Crime would continue. Kira was mortal, like any man, and as soon as he died things would return to the way they were. It was how things had happened. After Kira's death, in January of 2010, all was quiet for about a year. But as people finally started to realize that Kira had disappeared for good, everything had gone back to normal. Murders, rapes, robberies… Everything had returned to just how it had been before Kira's appearance.

When Lawliet turned seventeen, he left France. They didn't have the money to send him to college, and he wasn't really sure what he wanted to do anyway. So they scraped together what money they could and got him a ticket to Japan. His parents understood. They always understood him, better than anyone else ever had.

Although… Lawliet always had the nagging feeling that that wasn't true. There had been someone else… Once…

Being fluent in French, English, and Japanese, as well as knowing bits and pieces of various other languages, communicating in Japan wasn't a problem for him. He found a small apartment in Tokyo, getting a job as a translator. It made him enough money to get by on, as things stood. Tokyo was a busy city, and he enjoyed just watching the people going about their daily lives.

Tuesday was grocery day, usually. He would generally walk to the small market down the street from his apartment, and be able to get everything he needed there. The people who worked there knew him now, after two months of living here. It didn't surprise him. With the way that he slouched, his typical wardrobe, and his messy hair, anyone could probably recognize him.

He slipped into his battered tennis shoes, the only footwear he really felt comfortable in, and started down the street. Several people he knew from various places waved, and he waved back hesitantly. He really wasn't a people person, and to have others acknowledging him in public was a bit disconcerting. Upon reaching the market, he headed immediately for the bakery, where he was probably best-known.

"Konnichiwa, L!" Ayame, the lady who ran the shop, called to him as she saw him come in. Upon arriving in Japan, he had shortened his name to L after many people experienced difficulty pronouncing his given name. He smiled, coming up to the counter, and Ayame asked, "What can I do for you today, Eru-san? I just made strawberry cake."

"Grocery shopping." L replied. "But the cake sounds delicious. May I get a piece to take home?"

"Certainly!" While Ayame packaged the cake for him, he glanced around the shop. It was a cozy place, and it always made him feel safe and at-home. Ayame handed him the carefully wrapped slice of cake, and he thanked her. As he passed her the yen, she smiled warmly. "Come back later if you have time. You're always welcome, L."

L left the small bakery with a grin. It always made him feel better to be in there. The rest of his shopping was completed without a hitch, and as he shouldered the bag of groceries to take back home, a voice called to him out of an alley.

"Oi, oi!"

L looked around for the source of the voice, seeing a young woman calling from the side of the street. He glanced around once or twice, and she hissed impatiently, "Yes, you!" L blinked, but walked over anyway.

"Yes?"

She smiled. Dressed up as she was in an odd form of clothes, she looked even stranger than L. "I'm a gypsy." she said easily. L was surprised. In today's world, there weren't a lot of people who could get away with that kind of life. She peered at him curiously for a moment, then said, "You appear to have an interesting future. Would you mind if I did a reading?"

L didn't usually believe in this sort of thing, but something about the way she said it made him yield. He let her pull him into a small store, no bigger than a single room.

"I'm Momigi, but just call me Momi. Please, sit." She rummaged through a shelf, pulling down a deck of what L recognized as Tarot cards. Seating herself across from him, she shuffled the deck and held it out. "Draw six cards, please, and line them up on the table." L did as he was told, picking at random and arranging them into an even line, face down. Momi reached out when he was done, flipping the first card up and peering at it with interest.

"The King of Wands." she said slowly. "You have a passionate heart. A critical moment is coming, so walk through the fire without fear." She turned up the next one. "Eighteen. The Moon. Confusion and fear, psychological conflict. Something is going to affect you deeply."

L listened closely, unsure of the truth of what she was saying. They were just cards, right?

"Sixteen, the Lightning-Struck Tower. Crisis, disruption, revelation, and a realization of the truth. Next is…" she flipped the fourth card. "The Four of Swords, for healing. Whatever this truth is, it will heal you." Reaching for the next card, she hesitated a moment, then looked directly at L. "Raven's Law, you are, yes?"

L's eyes widened. His name, very clearly his name. Law coming from Lawliet, while Corbeau was French for 'raven'. There was no way she could have known…

Nodding in understanding of his reaction, Momi flipped the fifth card. "Six, the Lovers. Affinity and heart. And finally…" The last card settled upright onto the table, and Momi stared at it a moment. "Twenty. Judgment. Rebirth and absolution…" She looked at L for a long moment, then held out the rest of the deck. "Now draw the focus."

L debated. He could leave now, thank Momi and pretend all of this never happened. But the part of him that craved knowledge wanted to see what would become of this. He reached out, choosing a card at random and laying it face-up upon the table. Momi gasped.

"Thirteen… Death." Silence reigned between the two, before she continued, "An ending, a closing, or a finale…" Choking on a laugh, she murmured, "At least it was not the Ten of Swords. Nothing could be grimmer than absolute destruction… But with Death as a focus, I confess that I do not understand." She closed her eyes a moment and murmured, "Night God… The Night God's Moon… Watch for him…"

L picked up the Death card, looking at it warily. The skeleton seemed to be laughing, and as L stared, its eyes seemed to turn red. He dropped the card as if burned, his fingers tingling.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" Momi asked.

L took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Just a little unnerved, is all."

Momi collected the cards back into the deck, reaching out and touching L's hand. "Don't dwell on this. What will happen will happen, even more so if you attempt to avoid it. Everything will turn out for the best."

L nodded. "Thank you. It was… interesting." He collected his groceries, heading for the door.

Momi smiled. "Come back anytime. I look forward to seeing what happens to you. A most interesting future…"

As L walked back to his apartment, he couldn't help but think of the future the cards had foretold. Normally he would not believe such a thing, but it unnerved him for some reason. They were just Tarot cards, he told himself. They hold no true power over the future. Everything was psychosomatic. _It's all in your head_…

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So.

I started this with no real plot in mind, just to indulge my fantasies about writing about Tarot cards and Capoeira. (the Capoeira comes later) But now I'm up to six chapters on my computer, and a plot came from nowhere, so let's see where this goes, 'kay?

Li


	2. Dream

Chapter 2: Dream

_L struggled to his feet, breathing heavily._

_"I've told you before…" he murmured. "An eye for an eye, my friend." He flipped to balance on his hands, driving his feet into the other's chest. He staggered back, before charging forward and tackling the not-quite upright L. They rolled across the floor, each struggling to pin the other. L wound up on his back, his friend grinning down at him._

_"I think I win this one, L."_

_L squirmed, trying to wriggle away, but the other's grip was too strong. He flopped back to the carpet, defeated. "I concede, but you only won because you got me upside down."_

_"Any advantage helps! You have a mean kick!" He let him up, offering a hand to L to help him to his feet. L climbed upright again, head tilted curiously._

_"You seem happy."_

_The other grinned. "Of course! Just to have a moment to goof off with you is better than sitting and working all day, even if we did end up fighting. You'll have to teach me that fighting style someday."_

_"It's called Capoeira. It was developed as a dance originally, I believe, and then developed into an acrobatic fighting style." L replied. "It requires good balance and rhythm. Most capoeira is done for fun, and to show skills, but it can be invaluable in a fight."_

_"Interesting. I won't even bother to ask where you learned it. You wouldn't tell me anyway. You still think I want to destroy you and rule the universe."_

_"Maybe." A mocking smile accompanied the words, and he laughed as the other rolled his eyes. _

_"Again with the accusations! God, L!"_

_L smiled. "If you are not, then it will become apparent in time…" His vision faded slowly to black, as if he were going to sleep, but he was actually aware of it. When it cleared, he was only able to register the __**pain**__ that he was suddenly feeling. It burned his heart, extending into every limb, every finger. He felt arms tighten around him and stared up into the other's smiling face, grinning down at him in his pain._

_"I wasn't wrong…" L managed. His 'friend' grinned in response._

_"No, you weren't."_

_The black returned again, and this time when it cleared he was staring down at his friend as the boy lay bleeding on a set of stairs. Multiple wounds covered him, and L knew he was dying._

_"It's over." he voiced quietly, knowing that he was not substantial, but also knowing that the dying boy on the stairs could hear him._

_"L…" he rasped. "You're here…"_

_"I never left… I had to be here when you fell, -kun."_

L jerked awake, shaking in what could only be described as violent tremors. He grabbed at his blankets urgently, curling up in a tiny cocoon of bedcovers. He had died. He had had a dream of his own death. Letting go of his vice-grip on the comforter, he pressed his palm over his frantically beating heart. It had _hurt_, more physically than anything he had ever experienced in his life. It was only a dream. Could you feel pain in dreams?

Of all the dreams he'd had so far, this was much worse than the others. It had been a week since Momi had read his future, and since then he'd been having the strangest dreams. Most involved the mysterious auburn-haired boy, whose name was never mentioned. It seemed that anytime L or anyone else tried to utter _anyone's_ name, it came out as inaudible to his ears. But this boy seemed to know him well. They worked together, though on what L wasn't sure. They fought occasionally, but for the most part had seemed to get along well. But this night, L's dreams chose to be unkind. From what he had seen, his friend betrayed and killed him.

L glanced at the clock, shivering. Three in the morning again. This was getting ridiculous. He needed to go back and speak to Momi again, having a distinct hunch that whatever was tormenting his dreams had something to do with her. He rolled over, still clutching his blankets close, and fell back into a fitful sleep, praying that he could at least make it to morning without being woken again.

XxX

"Hey, you came back! Did your future come to pass?"

Momi was happy to see him, welcoming him into her small shop and passing him a cup of tea. She settled herself across from him, stirring in a small amount of milk and sugar to her own cup. L carefully put seven sugar cubes in his tea, much to Momi's amusement, before taking a sip. He pulled his knees up to his chest, more comfortable sitting like that, and waited.

"So…" Momi said. "What brings you back so soon… ehh… _kami_, I don't even know your name!"

"Lawliet. It's French, but just call me L, please."

"Law, hmm? So I was right, Raven's Law, ne?" she smiled, pleased, before continuing, "Now, L-san, tell me what's wrong, please. You're here for a reason."

L stared into his tea. How did you even begin to explain living another life in your dreams? How could he even begin to describe what had happened to him? He took a deep breath. "Since you read my future, I've been having the strangest dreams…" As he explained, Momi's eyes got bigger and bigger. When his story was done, up to the ending of his dream the previous night, she sat silently for a long moment before finally speaking.

"L, this is going to sound really odd, but do you have a birthmark anywhere on you?" she asked. He blinked at her, not understanding where she was coming from. She shook her head quickly, continuing, "I know it sounds crazy, but when I was growing up I learned an urban legend that said birthmarks were indications of wounds or scars from a past life when faint, and evidence of being murdered in a past life if they are particularly pronounced. Between the dream and the reading the Tarot cards gave, I have to ask."

L hesitated, then tugged at the collar of his shirt until the small star-shaped mark over his heart was exposed. "Here." he said softly. "This is the only one I have."

Momi leaned close. "A star…? And a pronounced one at that. If it were a stab wound, it would be a line where the blade entered; or a round mark if it were a gunshot wound. This… This looks like it could be evidence of a heart attack, but I've never seen anything like it before. Maybe…" She paused. "Maybe in your past life you were killed by Kira."

"But I…" L trailed off, unable to believe what he was being told. If what she was saying was true, then his friend in his dreams was Kira.

Momi was watching him with concern. "Another part of the legend is that you will be able to identify your past murderer, if he lives now, or has been reborn like you. Have you seen anyone like that?"

"No." L replied immediately. He didn't particularly want to. Coming face to face with someone who had killed him in the past didn't sound like the most pleasant experience anyone would ever face. Besides, in a world of a billion people, what were the chances that he could actually meet the one person who had killed him?

"Keep an eye out, then." Momi warned him. "Sometimes fates remain tied in the next life as well. If you were bound by fate before, there is nothing to say that you aren't now. And if you are, you will be drawn to each other eventually, whether you like it or not."

L frowned into his tea. Momi seemed to sense his discomfort, because she got up and hugged him. "Don't worry, L. There are differences to what everyone can remember. He probably won't even know who you are."

As L walked back to his apartment, he carefully considered everything he had heard. Even if he had been killed by Kira, what reason would the psychotic mass-murderer have to kill him? And if the boy in his dreams was Kira, had he been Kira's friend? It was almost frightening to think of. L didn't want to believe in Tarot cards and reincarnation, but the evidence was starting to stack up against him. He really didn't have a choice at this point, unless it was all some very strange coincidence…

He passed what appeared to be a small martial arts studio, noting a sign in the window listing the classes you could sign up to take. At the very bottom of the list was capoeira.

L smiled wryly. Maybe there weren't such a thing as coincidences after all. He read the rest of the sign, noting that the lessons were free, and shrugged. What harm could it do? It might even be fun.

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Momi-oneechan, my real-life not-big-sister, actually did tell me about the birthmark thing. I put in the part about knowing your murderer, just to suit my needs. Onee-chan would be happy to know she's in my fanfiction. :)

Does this make any sense? Because I actually find myself liking it. Guess who shows up next chapter? :P

Li


	3. Illumination

Chapter 3: Illumination

L found that he had a natural talent for capoeira. After only a week at lessons, he was already up to the level of someone who had been studying it for years. When he entered the class, they had asked everyone if they knew any moves already. L knew of one kick, but he had no name for it: the kick he had used on the boy in his dreams. When he explained that he didn't know the name, they asked him if he could demonstrate. L assumed they were expecting something easy, and gave them what they asked for. Something easy. He ducked his head, sending his foot back and up into the space where someone's chest or chin would have been. Continuing the spin, he rotated up to stand straight again, head tilted curiously.

Most of the room was gaping at him. One of the older capoeristas said incredulously, "A_ meia lua de compasso…_ A half-moon compass kick, with no hands… Amazing!"

L blinked. "What?"

"To do that kick is difficult enough! To have the balance to do it without bracing your hands on the floor is astounding! Are you sure you're a beginner?"

L hesitated a moment, then said, "Yes. I only saw that kick done somewhere. I didn't know most people did it with their hands on the ground."

"The rest of the beginner moves should be fairly simple for you, then!"

Now, after a week, L was up to the level of a capoerista who had been working for years, according to the teachers. He couldn't explain it any more than they could. It was as though his body already knew the forms, even if his mind did not. He could outwit any other student there in a roda, and even the teachers were admitting that there truly wasn't much left he could do except hone his skills and get stronger.

L left the martial arts dojo in an excellent mood. Even if it was yet another strange thing to add to his list, he felt very accomplished. Capoeira wasn't easy by any means, and he was proud to be so good at it. He went to the bakery, where he was greeted by Ayame calling to him.

"Hi, L!"

He waved back, in a better mood than he had been all week. Picking out a few doughnuts, he settled down at his favorite table in the corner, just watching the store absently. Whatever bizarre future Momi had predicted seemed so far away…

His dreams had ebbed, becoming less defined. Shady blurs were all that remained of them now, though the auburn-haired boy was always clear. Sometimes he spoke, but L could no longer hear the words. He was almost saddened by it. Puzzles were something he enjoyed and was good at, and this was the biggest puzzle to come at him in a long time. If you allowed for the concept of reincarnation, then things simply fell into place. He was dreaming memories of a past life. No other logical explanations made sense. But it seemed so unbelievable…

When he was finished with his doughnuts, he headed back in the direction of his apartment. He needed to straighten up a few things, and then intended to watch TV for a while. Fate, however, seemed to have other ideas. As he climbed the stairs of the building, unlocking his door and stepping into the three-room apartment, he saw his landlord standing in the living room.

"L, you know the rent was due yesterday, don't you?"

L paled. Dammit! He had completely forgotten amongst all the mess surrounding him recently. He quickly wracked his brains for when he'd be getting the money from his last translation, and it was over a week away. He didn't have enough money for rent and groceries too. Knowing in his heart that it was a losing battle, he asked pleadingly, "Can it wait a week, please? I'll have the money then."

The landlord shook his head. "L, I made it clear when you signed the contract to live here that late rent wouldn't be accepted. I'm afraid you're going to have to find somewhere else to stay."

_There is nowhere else!_ L wanted to yell, but he refrained. Silently he gathered his belongings. The furniture had been left by the previous owner of the apartment, and seeing as L had no form of transporting it, he would be leaving it behind too. He packed his meager belongings: a few sets of clothes, some books, several personal possessions, and left the building without looking back. If his landlord wanted to be that picky, then L would just have to find somewhere else to live. Having nothing better to do at that moment, he walked back to the bakery, duffle bag in hand, and sat down at his table in the corner.

Ayame came out from behind the counter, looking worried.

"L, what happened?"

"My landlord kicked me out because I forgot to pay the rent." L said sullenly. Ayame made a sympathetic noise, patting him on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry, L. Where are you going to go?"

"I don't know."

"Well, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." She went back behind the counter to tend to her customers, leaving L to sit and think. He was lucky that he knew such kind people, but he was hesitant to ask for help. All his life he had been regarded as odd and strange, especially back in France. He hadn't had any true friends. People in Japan seemed to simply take his odd appearance and mannerisms in stride, and treated him as if he were no different than anyone else. But it was hard to shake the habit of working through his problems alone. Besides, he didn't want to bother these good people with his worries.

"Hey."

L looked up as a young man slid into the seat across from him. He had auburn hair and pretty golden-brown eyes. As L looked twice, he noticed that the other boy's eyes also had a hint of red in them, making them almost a mahogany color. L blinked, feeling like he should know this boy, but didn't. They appeared to be about the same age, and L wondered if the other was still in high-school.

"Yes?" he asked, wondering what had provoked this person to come speak to him.

"You're L, right? I heard Ayame talking to you." the boy explained. "You don't have anywhere to stay?"

L nodded. "That is correct. My landlord is… _was_ an insufferably picky fool."

The other boy laughed. "My name's Light Kagayaki. My friend and I were renting an apartment together, but he left the other day to study abroad. You could stay in his room if you wanted. I'm sure paying half the rent would be easier than finding a new apartment."

"Kagayaki-kun…"

"Just Light."

"Light-_kun_," L said stubbornly, using the honorific anyway, "I really don't want to impose…"

"It's no trouble." Light insisted. "You really don't have anywhere to stay, right? What's the harm?"

L could not recall ever having to live with anyone other than his parents. He wasn't sure if having a 'roommate' was something he would be able to cope with. But at that moment, he had nowhere else to go. Not accepting Light's offer would probably be stupid. What was there to be afraid of?

"Very well… Arigato, Light-kun. I really don't know where else I would have gone." L said. Light smiled broadly, standing up and waiting for L to stand as well.

"Great! Come on, I'll show you the apartment."

xXx

When they reached the building, Light headed straight for the elevator, pressing the button for the seventeenth out of twenty floors. L trailed him down the hall, waiting patiently as Light messed with the key, then stepped inside. Sunlight flooded into the room from large windows all along one wall of the moderately-sized space. They offered an amazing view of the Tokyo skyline, with skyscrapers sparkling in the distance. L could only stare for a moment, entranced with the sight, before Light called him away from the windows to show him the room that would be his.

It was a good size, slightly larger than his old bedroom. But L didn't have many possessions, so it didn't particularly matter to him how large or small the room was. All he really needed was a bed to sleep in.

"Is this all right?" Light asked. L turned to look at him, smiling.

"Yes, this is fine." He set his duffle bag down next to the bed, trailing his new roommate back out into the main room. He noticed some textbooks on the coffee table and paused to skim a few lines. "You're in college? How old are you?"

"Seventeen." Light admitted. "I graduated high-school early. You?"

"We are the same age, and I also graduated early." L replied. "But I cannot afford college, and I don't feel that I particularly need it."

"My parents would spontaneously combust if I told them I wasn't going to college. No joke." Light said. He was silent for a moment, as if thinking, and then held out his hand. "So, roommates?"

"Hai…" L reached out and took his hand, shaking it. But as his hand came into contact with the other's, a sharp sting like an electric shock passed through it, and L flinched. Light frowned, looking concerned.

"What?"

"It's nothing…" L insisted slowly. "Please, excuse me. I'm going to go put my clothing and things away."

"Of course." Light replied, expertly hiding how puzzled he felt. L hurried back into the room now his and sat down on the bed, his eyes huge.

_"Another part of the legend is that you will be able to identify your past murderer…"_

Momi had been right, L thought to himself unsteadily. Maybe it was true that their fates were intertwined. Because Light Kagayaki, sitting out in the main room working on his college assignments, was the auburn-haired boy from his dreams.

Light was a murderer in his past life, and based on everything L had considered, there was a high possibility he was _Kira_ in his past life.

And L was one of his victims.

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"Kagayaki" means brilliance in Japanese. You guys have no idea how long it took me to find a suitable last name for him. :)

Thank you for all the encouraging reviews! It makes me so happy!  
Love and hugs!  
Li


	4. Night God

Chapter 4: Night God

L forced himself to behave normally around Light. It was actually easier than he thought it would be. For an hour or so at a time he would forget, and be able to truthfully be at ease around the other boy. But then he would remember, and the instinct to stay at a distance would surface again.

Light pretended not to notice when L flinched away, or made excuses not to be around him. He wasn't home much anyway, between college and a part-time job. This went on for almost a week, but when the weekend rolled around, things got more complicated.

They were sitting on the couch, watching some kind of crime drama on TV, but neither was really paying attention to it. Light finally shifted, turning to face L, and questioned bluntly, "So is L your actual name?"

L looked up, wide obsidian eyes startled at the sudden question. "No, it is not. My given name has always been difficult for the Japanese to pronounce, given its French origin. When I first arrived, it was easier just to shorten it to L, rather than watch others struggle over the proper pronunciation."

"Eru…" Light said, putting the Japanese inflection to it. He laughed slightly. "So, then, what's your real name, L?"

Something in L's mind and heart screamed aloud that he should not say; that his real name was a precious secret to be kept from this boy. He couldn't place the origin of the feeling, but the strength of it startled him. It was just a name. What was there to be scared of? But the file he'd read on the Kira Case came back to him suddenly, and he remembered an important detail that had kept the police baffled for so long.

_Kira needs a face and a true name to kill… A real name…_ But it shouldn't matter. Even if Light had been Kira in a past life, he wasn't Kira now. He wouldn't kill him because he knew his name. Light was an ordinary college student, not a supernatural psychic killer.

He hadn't realized he was staring off into space until he felt Light's hand on his shoulder. The other boy was gazing at him with concern in his eyes.

"Are you okay? You've been acting really weird all week. Are you sick?" Light asked.

L blinked, fighting the irrational fear he felt, struggling to open his mouth to contradict the other's worries. He finally managed a deep breath, saying softly, "My name is Lawliet Corbeau, and I'm fine."

Light stared at him for a moment, then smiled. "Raven? It suits your hair, but the rest of you would be better described by 'panda'."

"You speak French?"

"_Oui. C'est une belle langue, n'est pas?_" Light replied. L couldn't stop the wide smile that spread over his face. Obviously colleges required language classes, and he was just lucky that Light spoke French. But it was refreshing to hear his native language. Coming to a decision, he stood up quickly, reaching out and grabbing Light by the hand. The initial shock had dimmed away to almost nothing, and L barely registered the brief tingle that pulsed through his hand when they made contact.

"Wait, where are we going?" Light asked, alarmed but hiding it well.

"We have to go see a friend of mine. She'll be able to tell me what's going on." L said shortly, dragging Light towards the door. Momi would know what was going on, and if this was really what L thought it was. But there were too many coincidences for the raven-head's liking. Light looked exactly like the boy from his dreams, with a few minor details out of place. His eyes weren't exactly the same shade, nor was his hair. But it was close enough to be mistaken at first glance, and that was enough for L.

Light was clearly confused, but consented to follow L out of the building and down Tokyo's busy streets. When they reached Momi's small shop, L immediately disappeared inside. Light hesitated a moment. This battered shop-front didn't look like the safest place he'd ever seen. Was L nuts? After a moment, he followed the panda into the hole-in-the-wall building apprehensively.

Momi was already chatting animatedly to L when he entered. She looked up upon seeing him, frowning in a puzzled fashion. "Who is this, L-kun?"

L sighed. "This is my new roommate, Light Kagayaki. Uh… Momi-san…"

She stared at Light a moment, before motioning to the table in the center of the small store. "Come sit down. I think a triple focus will work for you." She waved Light at the purple armchair opposite her, pulling out her deck of Tarot cards. Seeing the confused expression on Light's face, she decided to explain for his benefit. "A six card draw, like I did for L, will tell almost like a story. The focus, when drawn, becomes what the story will focus around." She shuffled the deck in a careful, professional manner, holding it out to L to cut. He blinked at her, surprised, and she said cheerfully, "Just like real cards, I don't want anyone to think I'm fixing the results." L cut the deck, passing it back to her, and she continued, "A three card draw is different. It will give past, present, and future. If you ask a specific question, it can give you that as well. So the question I ask now… What are you, Light Kagayaki, to Lawliet Corbeau, in the past, in the present, and in the future?"

She held out the deck towards him. He hesitated and drew a card. When he flipped it over, L peered eagerly over his shoulder to see what it was. Momi blinked at the card that he had chosen.

"The Three of Swords…" she said softly. "Heartbreak and betrayal." She was silent a moment, her fingertips resting lightly on the card, then she continued, "In his past, you were the betrayer. A broken word, you stabbed him in the back and showed him that his trust had been misplaced."

Light glanced at L, who was watching impassively, his face almost too calm. His eyes had an odd gleam, like it had been exactly what he'd been expecting. Light reached for the next card without thinking, and set it upright on the table. Before she looked at it, Momi looked him directly in the eyes and said firmly, "You are him, aren't you? The Night God's Moon. I knew you were connected."

"Night God?" Light asked. "_Yagami_… I don't understand what that has to do with anything. My name is written with the kanji for moon, but is that relevant?"

Momi didn't answer, glancing briefly at L before looking to the card Light had set down. "Twenty, Judgment. New beginning, accepting of past mistakes, redemption, and forgiveness. For the present, you know the wrong you have done, and seek to be redeemed. Probably from the one person you want forgiveness from most." Light still remained silent, contemplating what she was saying.

"And the future?" L asked eagerly. This was only confirming what he had initially thought, the reason he had brought Light here in the first place.

Light drew the last card, but as he did another slipped from the deck, falling to the table, landing face down. Momi smiled as she saw what the card Light had drawn was.

"The Two of Cups, representing the power of two and the formation of strong bonds. Look for a truce and the chance to forgive." She then smiled almost impishly. "I could interpret it further, but I do not think it is relevant. There are the answers you looked for."

"Momi?" L asked. "Was I right? Is he what I think he is?"

She smiled. "I think so, L. But everything will turn out okay. Just, have some trust."

Light decided not to ask. Instead, he pointed at the remaining face-down card. "What about that one?"

Momi quickly picked it up. "It has no meaning to this draw, because it landed face-down. There's nothing to worry about."

It wasn't an acceptable answer, in either of their opinions, but they decided not to press the matter further. Thanking Momi, they left the shop quickly, heading in the direction of home. Momi glanced at the card in her hand. It could serve as a reinforcing card to the Two of Cups, as they had fallen together. She chuckled at what she saw there. It only further confirmed her suspicions about the two boys' future. How ironic, considering their pasts. She laughed, putting the deck away, and disappeared into the back of the store.

xXx

L and Light made their way back up the street slowly, both thinking over what they had heard. Light finally stopped altogether and looked at L, asking in a subdued voice, "What was that about? Why did you want her to read my future?"

L looked away. "Can I explain when we get home? I think cake will be a necessity for me to explain this coherently."

Light looked perturbed, but nodded. As they resumed walking, a child came barreling around the corner, crashing into L and promptly dropping all the books and notebooks he carried. L shifted back with an 'oof!', as the child fell on his butt.

"Are you okay?" Light asked, kneeling and beginning to gather up the fallen books. L bent to help as well, picking up a white notebook, a blue notebook, and a purple notebook from the sidewalk. He passed them to Light, who added them to the pile in his arms before returning them to the boy.

"I'm all right. Thank you!" The boy dashed off, obviously in a hurry to get somewhere. How great to be a child, where everything seemed important and amazing. L and Light smiled before continuing towards home. Neither noticed that shadow that now seemed to be hanging over the child. But the shadow noticed them, and chuckled.

Now _this_ would be interesting, indeed!

DNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDN

If anyone wants to look up the remaining meaning of the Two of Cups, look on Wikipedia. And the face-down card, for anyone who wants to (maybe) spoil the future, was card VI. :) I do love my Tarot cards.


	5. Revival

Chapter 5: Revival

"What was that all about?" Light demanded as soon as they had made it into their shared apartment. He watched, suspicious but now with a hint of worry, as L drifted in after him, moving to one of the couches and pulling his knees to his chest. Light followed, sitting down next to him, asking then, "Why do you sit like that?"

"It helps me think…" L murmured, not really paying much attention. His mind whirled with what had at last been confirmed for him. It was Light, it was always Light. And as he called that one dream to mind, he could hear himself distinctly. _'I had to be here when you fell, Light-kun.'_ The name that had been previously denied to him was now as clear as day.

"L, you promised to explain!" Light said forcefully. L looked up and sighed.

"Light-kun…" His voice was less strong than he would have liked, but with the subject, it didn't seem that there was anything he could do about it. "Do you believe in reincarnation?"

"Eh… I've never really thought about it. Why?"

L took a deep breath. "Light-kun, I have reason to believe that we knew each other in a past life. I also have reason to believe that in your past life you were Kira, and…" He swallowed hard. "And you killed me." He closed his eyes, waiting for the disbelief he knew would follow. But instead he simply heard Light's voice, quiet and surprisingly calm.

"You think I was Kira?" he asked softly. "Why?"

L opened his eyes again. Apparently this Light was different from the one of his dreams, the one he would get into fistfights with. That Light would have overreacted. He stared at the other's mahogany eyes, wondering how to explain. "I've been having dreams… Dreams that have you in them. You're different, there. We play, and fight, and work together, but… You kill me… And you smirk at me as I die. And then it skips ahead, and I stand over you as you die. And I just _know_, somehow, that you were Kira." He pulled at the collar of his shirt, exposing the birthmark. "Momi-san told me that birthmarks, when they are this prominent, are evidence of being murdered in a past life."

Light's eyes grew wide. "But…" he whispered. "I have one of those too…!" He tugged at his collar as well, revealing an identical star-shaped mark over his heart. "What does this mean? I can't have killed myself, if you saw me die…"

L blinked, startled more than he wanted to admit. "I don't know… But I knew you were the one who killed me. Momi-san also said that I would be able to tell my past murderer. When I would touch you, your hand, it would be like an electric shock. That's why I would flinch away from you like that."

Light settled into what looked like very deep thought. "I was Kira… I read about that case in history books. And I found the published police file they did on it, that talked about how the SPK and the remaining task force brought the culprit down. He was never named… Nor was the SPK leader." He frowned worriedly. "How could I do such a thing…? I mean… Kira's vision was crazy. You can't destroy crime through murder. You just can't…"

"We may never know that answer, Light-kun. But Kira is dead now. You are only you." L said. "The memories will likely be hazy forever."

"Not necessarily."

The voice spoke from the corner of the room, sounding amused. Light and L turned, both recoiling in shock from the thing standing across the room. Glowing red eyes peered at them, as the six-and-a-half foot figure chuckled merrily. It looked relatively human, for the most part. A shock of dark blue hair grew on its head, and it appeared to be dressed in black. Belts embellished with silver skulls looped around its waist, and a holder with a black notebook in it hung from the largest belt.

L had fallen backwards onto Light in shock at the thing's appearance, and now pushed himself up. "What… What are you?"

"My name is Ryuk." the thing said cheerfully, snickering. "Light should know me, shouldn't you, Light?"

L turned to look at Light. The other boy was pale, his eyes wide. He shook his head slowly, indicating without words that he knew nothing about the creature that had suddenly taken up residence in their living room. He was speechless, and L could see why. The blue-lipped grin of the mysterious thing was creepy, and its very presence radiated an almost evil aura.

"That doesn't answer my question." L said firmly, hiding his unease. Ryuk's grin widened.

"I'm a Shinigami, Lawliet." he chuckled. "You should remember a little bit." When L only looked bewildered, dumbfounded by the knowledge of Shinigami actually existing, Ryuk raised a hand. "I guess not. I'll unlock your memories, then." He moved towards L, and Light finally managed to break his paralysis.

"Hey, stop!" He stepped in front of L, as Ryuk's hand connected with his forehead. His eyes widened, and he fell to his knees with a scream.

"Light-kun!" L knelt beside his friend. He heard the Shinigami laugh, and looked up just in time to see Ryuk's hand descend onto his head.

Images, sounds, memories… All descended on L in a rush, filling his mind to the breaking point. He couldn't think fast enough to keep up with the speed of them, and he felt his breath leave his lungs in a hoarse yell of desperation. He collapsed into a heap on the floor, just waiting for the rush to subside. When it did, he looked up slowly, seeing Ryuk's grinning face.

"This will be very interesting!" The Shinigami said, before turning and walking straight through the wall. L whimpered, seeing Light still hunched on the floor, and tried to sort through the new memories. Things started coming back, slowly but surely. An orphanage in England, children who had meant so much to him, a never-ending stream of cases, the Kira investigation itself… His eyes widened as he realized what it all meant.

Light coughed, pushing himself up to lean against the couch. "Ugh… I feel like I've been hit by a truck… What's wrong?" He looked over to see L's pale face. "L?"

"Light-kun…" L whispered, wonder tinting his voice. "I was L, Light-kun…"

"You're L now." Light pointed out.

"No, I mean I was _L_. My name now is a nickname, short for Lawliet. But that was why you… no, Kira. That was why _Kira_ wanted to kill me. I was the world's greatest detective, L Lawliet…"

"But there's still an L. He's still alive."

"I had successors…" L murmured. "Look at your memories, Light-kun."

"I don't want to." But he closed his eyes anyway, concentrating. He frowned, finally muttering almost to himself, "Oh my god, I was Kira. Ryuk was the one who gave me the Death Note…" L remembered the Death Note. Never had a notebook given him so much trouble. Light was still talking, now saying, "Mello and Near, they were your successors…"

"And Matt." L said. "You never met Matt. Takada's bodyguards shot and killed him."

Light's voice grew more and more horrified. "All those people… Mello… And you… I killed _you_… And _laughed…_" His expression seemed to crumple. "I was insane…"

L blinked at him. This Light wasn't the Light from so long ago. His logic took over, trying to make sense of the situation. "This means we were reincarnated at the same time, just months after you were killed."

"Ryuk killed me!" Light exclaimed. "Maybe that's what the mark is! Not a heart-attack, or a lot of people would have them. Maybe it's the mark of someone murdered by a Shinigami. Purposefully murdered. Because Rem killed you." He paused a moment, then added. "Light Yagami. That's who I was. Night God's Moon. Your friend was right."

They stared at each other, blinking. Then suddenly L started to laugh. The situation was so unbelievable, he couldn't comprehend. Light watched, confused, for a moment, before beginning to laugh too. Former enemies, one killed by the other, reincarnated to grow up and become roommates. It was too strange. L found himself wondering if Momi had known all along; if her Tarot cards had told her more than she'd chosen to share. But it didn't matter, not really. At last, the mystery of the dreams and the weird feelings and everything was solved.

When they stopped laughing, Light looked thoughtful.

"But how could we see him?"

"Who?" L asked.

"Ryuk. We'd have had to touch his Death Note to see him, and I don't recall touching anything of the sort."

L frowned. "I don't know. Could there be another one loose in the world though, for him to be here at all?"

"I don't know either." Light sighed. He looked over at L, smiling wryly. "I guess we'll have to keep a lookout."

L smiled back. "Yeah. I guess so." Looking at Light, L couldn't help but feel amazed. You'd think you would fear the person who once killed you, but as L compared his memories of Kira, Light Yagami, to his impression of Light now, the difference was clear. They were two completely different people.

And L was happy.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Hurrah for Ryuk. They needed to remember, and that was the best way I could think to do it. If the Death Note brings back memories of the Death Note itself, then a Death God should be able to bring back memories of death. :)

I like that one part in particular, where L realizes who he was. I can just imagine the look on his face.

Love!  
Li


	6. Circle

Chapter 6: Circle

Taro Kagami sat absently on his bed, propped against the wall with a stack of pillows and reading a book. He didn't even flinch as Ryuk stepped through his wall and settled into a corner. Not taking his eyes off the book, he tossed an apple in the Shinigami's direction, listening as Ryuk ate it noisily.

"Where were you?" he asked, turning the page.

Ryuk chomped down the last of his apple. "I had to talk to someone."

"You can do that? I thought you had to stay with me."

"I can leave for short periods. Unless you _want_ me to hang around all the time." Ryuk grinned, as Taro finally looked up, setting the book aside.

"No, that's fine." The thirteen-year-old stretched, before asking, "So who did you have to talk to? Another Shinigami?"

Ryuk chuckled. "Actually, those two guys who you ran into earlier. Where you dropped all your stuff."

Taro's eyes widened. "You told me no one could see you! How could you talk to them?!"

"You didn't read the rules carefully enough. They can see me if they touch the notebook. And they handed it back to you, didn't they?" snickered Ryuk, looking all too happy at the shock on the boy's face.

"Why didn't you warn me?!" Taro howled. He pulled out the Death Note, looking at it warily. "Now they can see you, if I run into them again…" He rolled his eyes. "The original Kira and Uncle Teru never had this much trouble. Sure, Uncle Teru and Kira both died before I was born, but still! I've barely had this thing a week, and already things could be messed up! Kira kept the police on the run for six years!"

Ryuk only continued to grin. He had chosen this boy, Teru Mikami's nephew, to take the notebook, and it was looking to be a hell of a ride. The boy apparently admired what Kira had tried to do, and for that, would gladly carry on his uncle's legacy.

Taro tucked the Death Note back into his bag, fumbling on the nightstand for his cell phone. "I'll have to call Emi. She and the others will need to be told, just in case. Who are those guys, Ryuk?"

"Well…" Ryuk's eyes gleamed wickedly. "The brunet is the reincarnation of the original Kira." He snickered as Taro dropped the phone, whipping around to stare in shock at the death god. "And the other is the reincarnation of L. I don't know why they got reincarnated. Someone must have liked them, in Heaven or Mu. Not many people like them, murderers and such, get reincarnated. Light Yagami was a killer, but L did some pretty bad things in his methods too."

"Now I _really_ have to call Emi." Taro said breathlessly. "Kira _and_ L, and I ran into them? Unbelievable."

"Well, they didn't remember anything. They do now, since I unlocked their memories." Ryuk pointed out.

Taro dialed the phone quickly. "Emi? Are you there?" He listened for a moment, then said, "I have news. Ryuk told me something very interesting…"

xXx

Emi Tachikawa listened in silence as Taro explained the situation to her. She reclined into the pillows of her sofa, eyes wide as he wove the tale of what had happened. Baka! Idiotic Shinigami! Keeping the current L from learning what they were up to was one thing, but an L from the past as well… They had to keep a low profile, and with two brilliant detectives potentially ready to come after them… If Ryuk hadn't been so stupid as to unlock their memories… But the original Kira would be a valuable asset, if they could find him.

"Keep a lookout for them, Taro. If you see them again, try to find out their names." Emi closed the phone with a click, turning to the Shinigami watching her curiously. "Well, Shidoh, Ryuk's gone and done something stupid. I assume the rule stands that Shinigami can't reveal the names of other humans to us?"

Shidoh made a motion akin to a nod. "We aren't allowed to tell information like that." He was distinctly more at ease with Emi than the last person who had gotten hold of his notebook. That Mello kid had been scary. "The rules are very specific."

Emi sighed. "Unfortunately, Taro got the book with all the rules written out. The rest of us just have the basics. The next time he's here, I want to look at the rules for Shinigami again. There must be something we can use. If anything, maybe we can find a way to learn their names without the Shinigami eyes. None of us really want to give up half our life, except for Drevan. But he's in America right now, so he's almost useless in that respect." Out of the people in their little group, Drevan Ricter had been the only one to trade for the Shinigami eyes, agreeing to be their sight. But urgent business had called him home to America for the week, and he was out of touch at the moment. "Surely this threat is the most minor we could face."

Shidoh nodded again, choosing not to comment. Emi flopped back into the couch, sighing. "Taro said he'd try to get in touch with Drevan, regardless. I guess I'm left to call Himeko and Teil. Mizuki is staying with Himeko, if I remember correctly." The remaining three members of their group, Himeko Inoue, Mizuki Kobayashi, and Teil Miura, lived in various places around Tokyo. It wasn't hard to get together on a regular basis, but calling a meeting would take far too long. Even if phones were tappable and traceable, it was a risk they had to take. Teil's house was near the outskirts of Tokyo, and he had to travel the farthest to reach them. Mizuki and Himeko shared an apartment near Tokyo Tower, and thankfully only required only one phone call to inform both. Emi sighed again, pulling out her phone. "Well, here we go…"

xXx

Teil glanced up as his phone rang. He answered with a curt greeting. "Konnichiwa. What do you want, Emi?" He listened to her speak, then smiled wickedly. "That's interesting. I'll be in touch. Arigato, Emi-san." He hung up, glancing at the American-Indian-like Shinigami who had drifted over to see what was happening. "Good news, Zellogi. Things are about to get entertaining."

The Shinigami smirked. "Good."

xXx

Himeko and Mizuki were lounging around their two-bedroom apartment, not really doing anything. Mizuki was trying to perfect a new style for drawing people, and Himeko was going through charts of data. Mizuki wanted to be a graphics designer, so any practice she could fit in was welcome. Himeko, on the other hand, was a rising entrepreneur, and was busy working on the plans to open a bakery/restaurant.

The phone rang, and Himeko looked up.

"Mizu, throw me the phone!" she called. Mizuki sighed, picking up the cordless phone from its charger and lobbing it across the room. Himeko caught it, pressing 'talk' and asking hurriedly, "Konnichiwa? Himeko speaking."

"Meko-san, it's me, Emi."

"Oh. Emi-san, I was waiting for a very important phone call from a financial backer. They want to help me with the funds for my restaurant."

"I've got much more important news. Taro ran into the reincarnations of the original L and the First Kira. You two need to know this information, incase we need to form a plan to take care of them. Make sure you tell Mizu-san, as well as your Shinigami." Emi said. Himeko frowned.

"The First Kira? We could use his help, after all." she pointed out.

Emi sighed. "We don't know how he may have changed after being reincarnated. And being under L's influence also could have changed him. We'll be keeping an eye out, until we can find their names."

"Hai. Hontou niarigato, Emi-san. I'll tell Mizu."

Emi replied, "Hai. Talk to you soon." She hung up, and Himeko turned to Mizuki, quickly explaining everything Emi had told her.

"But we don't need the First Kira if he's different." Mizuki said. "A different one won't do us any good. We need the original."

"Hai, because that's what we were trying to do." Himeko smiled. "Kano isan wo fukkou sasenasai. Shisha kara Kira-shu wo tsure kaeri nasai. At least in the figurative sense, through us." _Revive his legacy. Bring the Killer-lord back from the dead._ She looked around. "Where are Gukku and Deridovely?" The two Shinigami were nowhere to be seen.

"Probably gambling somewhere." Mizuki laughed. "We'll tell them later."

The entire group was essentially informed, then, with the exception of Drevan in America. But he would be back in three days, and then, when they found L and Kira, they could learn their names easily. Emi, Teil, Mizuki, Himeko, and Taro could spend that time planning for all circumstances, and be prepared to act on anything that might happen.

An L who wasn't L stood no chance.

DNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDN

How to Read 13 is very helpful, yes it is. All of those Shinigami are actual ones from canon. Yay me. And Taro is that little kid from the pilot thingy in the back. His name sounded too much like Mikami's not to play with.

I like Teil. I had the hardest time with his name. It's essentially the end of "Lawliet", backwards. Without the law, because he's a bad-guy, yes? (I'm such a geek.)

So now we have villains! I really am starting to like this story. If anyone cares, there is a song called "Galileo" by the Indigo Girls that really fits this nicely. I have up to chapter nine planned out so far, so all is going well. And for anyone who reads "From Letters to Loss", I really need to do the next chapter of it right, so it may be awhile.

Love and hugs!  
Li


	7. Meeting

Chapter 7: Meeting

Light was watching L sleep.

The boy had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room, halfway through researching everything he could find on the Kira Case. There was precious little information after New Year's of 2004, and what he could find was mostly media-based rather than real facts. Light had learned in the process that L, either having a flair for the dramatic or just not giving a damn about what day it was, had revealed himself to the task force at midnight on January first. After that, the police had all but stopped investigating, and from L's own paranoia, information was scarce.

Light picked up the blanket from the back of the couch, draping it over L. He looked less worried, younger, when he was asleep. He could never remember seeing the detective sleep in his past life, and took full opportunity of it now. The paranoid detective only went to sleep after Light, and always woke up before him. There were certainly times he never slept at all.

That done, he settled into a chair nearby, thinking. For the most part, he kept his memories of Kira pushed to the back of his mind. He knew it was something he had to come to terms with, that in a past life he had been the mass murderer of hundreds of thousands of people, but he much preferred not to think about it. If that were the case, and he knew it was, he had murdered L. Looking at the boy currently lying on the couch and nibbling his thumb in his sleep, he wondered how he could have ever brought himself to go through with it. L was one of very few people he could really talk to. He couldn't have really wanted him to die.

L stirred, blinking awake slowly. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and looked at Light, puzzled.

"Did I fall asleep?"

Light nodded. "You looked really tired. You didn't sleep well last night either?" Nightmares had haunted Light's sleep all night. The faces of the people he killed kept appearing to him, wailing about how he was a murderer.

L blinked. "Correct. Sleep eludes me…" He frowned. "I dream about dying."

Light cringed. That was what he had least wanted to hear. Guilt threatened to swamp him again, before L caught sight of his expression. "It isn't your fault, Light-kun. You have no control over who you were, just as I have no control over who I was. Please don't blame yourself."

Light sighed. "Still, L. I killed you. I can't just apologize and say 'Sorry, it won't happen again!'"

"It won't, will it?" L asked softly.

Light looked up in shock. "Of course not!" he cried indignantly. L smiled.

"Then that's good enough for me."

xXx

They went out after that, mostly because they felt like lunch out, but partly because home seemed very crushing at that moment. Walking down the bustling streets, L looked around at all the people, wondering then if any of them were like he and Light. Obviously without unlocked memories, but alike all the same. It was a borderline depressing thought, and L crushed it, refusing to dwell on it. It was childish and immature to try and block away the bad things, but he did it anyway.

As they picked through the crowds carefully, Light suddenly grabbed L's arm and pulled him to the side, into the shadow of a building. L fought for a brief moment, but then surrendered abruptly as Light pointed.

"Ryuk."

The Shinigami was flying unseen above the crowd, a black shadow on Tokyo's streets. Light flattened himself to the wall, attempting to evade the Shinigami's notice, and L did the same.

"He won't see us…" L whispered, as if speaking in a normal tone might call the Shinigami down on them. Light nodded tensely. Seeing the Death God was bad, as both of them knew. It meant there was a Death Note in the human world, and neither of them wanted the notebook to interfere in their lives again. L started to edge along the building, heading for the nearest doorway to escape into. They could leave and pretend to have never seen Ryuk, and everything could stay normal. But he froze as Ryuk's red eyes slid over to spotlight both of them against the wall.

Light frowned. "Too late now." he whispered. "He saw us." He walked past L, who looked confused for a moment, but followed. Light turned down an alley, walking around the back of one of the buildings to an empty space. Debris and trash lay scattered around the space.

L blinked. "Where are we?"

"Well…" Light mused. "If Ryuk wants to come and talk to us, he can't do it in the middle of a street. We should see what he has to say. Maybe we can find out who has his Death Note. He's following a human, after all."

They waited a few minutes, and finally heard hesitant footsteps coming around the corner. Ryuk flapped in to stand off to the side, and a small form hurried into view.

L's eyes widened. It was that boy from the other day! His eyes were wide as he stared at Light and L in awe. Stopping before them, he bowed.

"Kira-sama." he said, still looking at the ground. Light drew back, a look of mixed horror and disgust on his face. The boy looked up then, adding politely but with a measure of irritation, "Eru-san."

Light scowled. "Who are you? And why do you call me by the name of that murderer?"

"My name is Taro Kagami. And you are Kira-sama, who Uncle Teru followed and who was going to fix the world and get rid of the bad people." the boy said brightly. As Light and L stared at him, he added, "Ryuk told me."

Light fixed a glare on the Shinigami, who grinned and chuckled. Light sighed, looking down at the boy in front of him, and said firmly, "Kira's ideals were wrong, Taro. I'm not Kira anymore."

Taro gaped at him. Then he pointed accusingly at L. "It's his fault, isn't it?! He brainwashed you!" L stepped back, startled by the sudden accusation. The boy glared at the raven-head, until Light finally spoke up again.

"I may have been Kira in a past life, but I'm not Kira now. What I was doing was… terrible. You should get rid of the Death Note as soon as possible."

Taro frowned. "Emi was right. You are different." He kicked at the dirt under his feet. "You're no help to us, then." L's inner detective perked at the statement, but he kept silent, hoping that they boy could be coerced into saying more.

Light spoke up then. "How is it that we can see Ryuk? We didn't touch a Death Note."

Taro looked puzzled. "Yes you did. You handed it back to me, remember?" He blinked up at Light, confusion evident on his face.

"None of those notebooks were black." L said softly. Ryuk erupted into laughter from his corner, and all three turned to look at him, baffled.

"There are Death Notes in the Shinigami realm that are other colors." he explained, laughing. "Death Notes can be black, red, or white. Taro's is white."

"Oh!" L remembered picking up the white notebook and passing it to Light that day on the street. "Then we had no way of knowing it was a Death Note." He glanced at Light, who looked almost sick. Thinking quickly, he turned to Taro. "He is no longer Kira, as I am no longer L. We want no part of whatever you are trying to accomplish. All we want is a normal life."

Taro looked almost disappointed. "Emi will be upset…" he muttered. L caught the name, yet again, and stored it away in his memory for later. Taro frowned, saying sullenly, "Bye," before walking back away through the alley. Ryuk chuckled, before following.

Light turned to look at L. "Thanks for the save. I didn't know what else to say." L shrugged. Light looked up into the sky. "A child with a Death Note. What could possibly come of that?" Looking back at L, he added, "I think it's going to rain. We should head home."

"I like the rain." L said, moving to follow as Light started in the direction of home. "It washes things away. It helps me think clearly, but at the same time…" He paused, considering, and then added, "It makes me feel sad. Like the heavens are crying."

Light couldn't help but stop and turn to face him. "Do you remember…?" he began without thinking.

L nodded. "I knew. I had known for a while."

Light could only stare at him, and for the first time in either of his lives he realized just how strong L must have been, to go through that day knowing that he wouldn't live to see the end of it. To stand on the roof and speak to him so calmly, when any normal person would have cried and screamed and fought back just to save themselves. Yet L had known that his death would eventually set up Near's win, and he had simply let it come…

Light blinked. "I…" He stopped, not sure what he had been intending to say. "Let's go home. I think I need a serious cup of coffee."

L tilted his head curiously, wondering what had been going through Light's head, but didn't press the matter. He simply followed the auburn-haired teen home, listening as the rain pursued them.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Rain. :)

Watched 25 in English. CRIED. But they changed the dialogue on the roof and obliterated every HINT of shounen-ai there might have been. But they left the foot thing alone. Go figure.

Again, HTR13 is VERY helpful. I like the rule about the different colored Death Notes. I'm going to exploit the most obscure rules, so prepare yourselves now. :)

A sleeping L is an adorable L, ne?  
Love and hugs!  
Li


	8. Demons in the Night

Chapter 8: Demons in the Night

They had come home and eaten dinner, watching some TV in the living room before returning to their own rooms to go to bed. Light had gone to sleep almost immediately, having had a very stressful day. Having a past you would rather forget coming back to haunt you is not particularly good for one's nerves.

When Light awoke, he rolled over groggily to peer at the clock. It was two in the morning, according to the glowing red numerals, and he couldn't figure out why he was awake. Something had woken him from his nice, soothing sleep, but what?

Thunder crashed outside the window, and he glanced at the closed curtains. The pleasant rain shower from earlier had turned into a raging thunderstorm. But that wasn't what had woken him. He often slept through thunderstorms. As another violent crack of thunder echoed through the apartment, Light heard an underlying sound, like a cry of fear. _That_ was it. He wasn't sure why such a faint sound could wake him, especially through the thunder, but it was worth investigating. He had a pretty good idea of what it might be.

He climbed out of bed, socked feet making no noise on the carpet, and padded out into the living room. After a quick look around, he turned to the door to L's room, knocking firmly on the door.

"L, are you okay?"

No answer came from beyond the closed door. Light reached to knock again, then changed his mind, opening the door and stepping into the dark room. In another bright flash of lightning, he saw L curled up in bed, clinging desperately to a pillow, his eyes shut tightly.

"L?" The other boy didn't respond to his name, but as thunder broke in to the ceaseless sound of rain all around them, he let out another small cry, and clutched the pillow tighter. Light, concerned, moved to the side of the bed, sitting on the edge and laying a hand on L's shoulder. "L, come on, what's wrong? Is it the storm?"

L took a shuddering breath, but another loud roll of thunder had him springing out of the blankets to throw his arms tightly around Light's waist, clinging with everything he had. Light froze in surprise for the barest of seconds, but then he wrapped his arms firmly around the shaking once-detective, asking softly, "Why are you afraid, L?"

L's face was firmly buried in the shoulder of Light's pajama shirt, so his voice was muffled as he replied, "Thunderstorms… I have always been afraid of thunderstorms, since I was born…" Another flash and crash, and L shivered. "Now I know why… It was thunderstorming when…"

Light suddenly understood exactly what it was. That afternoon, so long ago, after they had talked on the roof, after they had dried off on the stairs… It had been thunderstorming when everything stopped. When L took his last breath in Light's arms. As the storm raged around them, Light found himself holding L tighter.

"It's okay…" he murmured, not really thinking about what he was saying. "I'm here."

"I think I understand… now…" L muttered, his voice thick with sleep. He sleepily nuzzled against Light's shoulder, relaxing despite the continuing thunder. His breathing evened out, and Light knew that he had fallen back asleep. He didn't move, holding his roommate close, and pondered on everything that had happened.

He had never felt guiltier for what his past life had done than in that moment. With L safely curled in his arms, he wondered what had ever possessed him to want to hurt the eccentric boy, even if he was Kira. The panda-eyed detective had been the most interesting person Light had ever known. To have him die… Light remembered that things had been very boring after L was gone. Too boring. And…

No. No good to think like that. That was borderlining memories that he had _sworn_ not to touch; memories that didn't even involve Kira, surprisingly. They were memories from the time that he couldn't remember Kira, when he had almost…

Squashing the thought before it could completely form, he shifted L in his arms so that he could get both of them under the covers. The thunder had since lessened, but something in his heart prevented him from leaving the other boy alone. He tucked L in, before lying down next to him, one arm draped over L's slender waist. He paused to wonder when L had become so trusting of his presence. If it had been L who had killed him, not vice-versa, Light knew that he probably wouldn't want to even be in the other's vicinity. But somehow L had come to trust him, and Light was grateful for the second chance. He pulled the blankets up around them, drifting to sleep against the soft sound of rain.

xXx

When L awoke the next morning, he was confused for a moment as to where he was. He checked the clock, finding the time to be just past eight in the morning. He remembered going to bed, waking up to the sound of thunder… He'd had another panic attack, he remembered. It was a normal response to thunderstorms. Even as a child, they had terrified him to the point of being unable to think clearly, or even move. Now he understood why, which should have made it better, but it didn't seem to ease the fear. Then he had gone back to sleep, somehow. Normally he stayed awake the remainder of the night, terrified to close his eyes again. It was a puzzle, but L was too comfortable at the moment to worry about it. He closed his eyes again, snuggling back into the warm arms around him and hoping to catch at least another few minutes of sleep.

Wait a second.

L forced himself to not leap straight up to see what had happened, instead carefully turning over to find the source of this strange occurrence. He blinked as he came face to face with a sleeping Light. The teen's arms were looped loosely around L's waist, keeping him close to his sleeping roommate.

Oh.

He remembered now. Light had come into his room, wondering if something was the matter. He had held L, protected him against the thunderstorm outside, and apparently had stayed with him until both of them fell asleep. L stared into his sleeping face, feeling something he didn't quite understand rushing through him, a mixture of gratitude and wonder and something he just couldn't place.

He sighed, deciding to analyze the feeling later and just hold on to this for a little longer. Tucking his head back under Light's chin, he resolved to lie there until either Light awoke, or pushed him away.

After a few minutes, the auburn-haired boy stirred, his grip on L going slack as he yawned. L watched in amusement as Light's eyes, initially full of sleep, went wide and then filled with full-blown panic as he realized both where he was and the fact that L was awake.

"Sorry!" he yelped, moving to get out of bed. Fumbling with a blanket that had somehow gotten looped around his leg, he rambled hurriedly, "You were upset and I didn't know what else to do and I fell asleep by accident…" What was wrong with him? Just explain and be done with it! It wasn't that hard! But Light wasn't listening to his sensible inner voice at that point.

"Light-kun…" L interrupted. Light stopped his babbling to glance at the raven-head, who looked happy. "Thank you, Light-kun."

"Oh. Uhh…" Light blinked. "You're welcome?"

L glanced at the window. "I wasn't expecting the storm to be so bad. I should have told you that they frightened me." He stood up, moving past Light towards the door. "Breakfast, Light-kun?"

Light followed silently, confused as to how L could play this off as though nothing had happened. It was only after both of them were seated, eating pancakes which, for L, were drenched in syrup, that either dared to speak of the situation.

"I'm sorry." Light said, eyes on his pancakes. L looked up in surprise, brushing away a stray spike of hair threatening to get stuck in the syrup on his face.

"For what, Light-kun?"

"It's my fault you have nightmares. It's my fault you're scared of thunderstorms. All of it was me." Light elaborated. He frowned into his pancakes. "I wish I could fix it."

"I told you before." L said. "I do not blame you for any of this. Light Kagayaki and Light Yagami were two different people. Light Yagami was a foolish child with a god complex. Light Kagayaki is a good person, and my best friend–" L stopped speaking suddenly, as if he realized what he was saying. He went back to his pancakes abruptly, refusing to look back up.

Light couldn't help but grin. L did trust him, even if he was loathing admitting it. He watched the other eat quietly for a few minutes, before breaking the silence.

"L?"

No response, but the slightest tilt of a dark head showed that L was listening. Light smiled.

"You're my best friend too."

And beneath his hair, Light caught a glimpse of L's smile, faint and fleeting, but _there_ for the briefest moment. He took a second to be happy with himself, and reached for the remote for the kitchen TV, clicking on the news.

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... :)

This chapter was written purely because I wanted to. There is practically no plot development here at all, only character development. It's my birthday, and I'll write fluff if I want to. :)

Next chapter is much more on-plot. But, come on! The shounen-ai had to start somewhere, ne?  
Love and hugs!  
Li


	9. Resurrection

Chapter 9: Resurrection

The headlines were beautiful. Emi leaned back into the sofa, eyes focusing on the flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. The news had been on all morning, running headline after headline, theory after theory. And yet, every one had been practically the same.

_**Kira Returns?**_

Emi wanted to laugh. Beautiful, the way it had turned out. With all of them working together, more names had been written in an hour than in the original Kira's first few _days_ of owning the notebook. Each of them had taken a country, found a list of criminals… and struck. It was easier than any of them had imagined. And now the world was taking notice. Every news channel was covering the story, as they had made certain that every criminal died with Kira's trademark: a heart attack. And now the world stood still in fear, terrified that what had happened over seventeen years ago was occurring again. And Emi laughed, because they had accomplished what they had set out to do.

_Bring the Killer-lord back from the dead_.

Even if he was already back, according to Taro he had no part of what had made him Kira. He was simply an ordinary man, not the near-God that the history books spoke of in the same light as Robespierre and Adolf Hitler. But even such terrible men as they had had their supporters, and amongst the news channels pro-Kira demonstrators flocked anywhere there was a camera. Emi smirked in delight, almost unable to believe that this had been entirely their doing. She glanced at Shidoh, who was happily munching a bar of chocolate, a habit he'd picked up from his last visit in the human world if she had heard correctly. She smiled to herself, picking up her phone and calling Himeko.

"Meko-san, are you watching the news?" She listened for a moment, then laughed. "Yes, a complete success, of course. We should go out to lunch. Drevan's plane lands at ten forty-five." Another moment of listening, then, "Sure, that's fine. Will you call Taro? I'll call Teil and tell him to get ready. Sayonara, Meko-san. See you in a little while." She closed the phone, an air of joy around her, and glanced at Shidoh. "We have to go by the airport to get Drevan before we go to lunch. I'm going to call Teil, and then go get ready. Finish your chocolate, because you can't eat it in the restaurant. People will see."

Shidoh watched as Emi drifted off in the direction of her room, flipping the phone back open and looking for Teil's number on speed-dial. He turned his attention back to the chocolate, taking another bite hungrily. He had yet to figure out why Ryuk preferred apples, when there were such great things as _this_. It was possibly the only thing he could have thanked that Mello-child for.

xXx

Light and L gazed at the small TV in the kitchen, unable to believe what the small black-and-white screen was showing them. Neither was sure who moved first, but suddenly both of them were running for the living room, where the larger TV was, fumbling hurriedly to turn it on the news.

_Over two hundred convicted and known criminals are confirmed dead at this time, and we can only wonder, has Kira finally returned to continue his killings again?_

L turned wide eyes to Light, who shook his head. "Taro… That one kid couldn't have done all of this by himself… How in the hell…?"

"Emi…" L muttered. When Light glanced questioningly at him, he said softly, "Taro mentioned an 'Emi', twice during our conversation, implying that they would be upset that you are not the same as you were then. Perhaps this person, probably female from the name, is a ringleader of some sort?"

Light nodded. "That would make sense. But we have no way of knowing how many of them there are. With killings on this scale, in just this short period of time, we can tell it's more than one person. But it's also highly likely that it's more than two. It's impossible to guess how many or who they might be. It could be anyone."

L stared down at his feet. "I hate this, Light-kun. I don't want to do this anymore."

"I don't like it any more than you do. After all, they're using a name I created. A name that I regret very deeply." Light said. "At the moment, there isn't really a lot we can do. We should just watch for now."

"Yes…" L didn't want to watch. He didn't want to be involved at all. He had tangled with Kira once, and had ended up dead. It wasn't fair, but he was tied to this simply because of who he had been. But he wasn't the world's greatest detective anymore, and he didn't want history to repeat itself.

xXx

Emi leaned up to kiss her boyfriend on the cheek. "Welcome back, Drevan."

He smiled at her. "How have things been while I was away, Emi?" He reached up to brush his brown hair from where it hung into his eyes. "Anything interesting happen?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'll tell you in the car. We're meeting the others for lunch." They walked across the airport together, getting into Emi's small car and driving back into downtown Tokyo. Emi explained the majority of what had occurred, including Taro's meeting with Kira and L.

"He's not the same as he was before. He's… just like everyone else, now. I can't say for certain, but it's probably L's influence at work on him." Emi said, pulling up in front of a small sushi restaurant. "I don't know if he'd be any use even if we could separate them, though. He seems too far gone from what he once was."

"The First Kira… While it would be intriguing to have him on our side, we can't count on that." Drevan said. They got out of the car, and he added, "Besides, this is our crusade, now."

Inside, the others had already gotten a table. They greeted Drevan enthusiastically as he came in. He was the eldest of their group, twenty years old. The others were mostly seventeen and eighteen, with Taro being the youngest at thirteen. Drevan sat down, looking around at them all.

"How was America?" Himeko asked. "What was it again that you had to do?"

"My sister was getting married. I had to go home for the wedding." Drevan replied. "America was the same as it always is. There's a reason I moved to Japan, you know." He had always been intrigued by Japanese culture as a child, and had left America behind as soon as he had gotten the opportunity.

"Of course." Himeko agreed. She looked around the table, saying then, "Well, everything went just as planned, didn't it?"

They nodded. Emi smiled, saying, "Better than expected, actually. There's been a media firestorm over this. It's been on every news station, all day. I'm glad we decided to do it like this instead of gradually. People have definitely recognized Kira's calling-card."

Teil looked up from his lunch, saying quietly, "Even if the real L, not this reincarnated one, gets involved, we've taken steps to ensure our safety. At this point, the only thing that remains is to continue to be careful." He picked at his food absently, not liking the fact that he had to be in this crowded restaurant. He much preferred it when they set things up over the phone. At least they had had the sense to get a table in the corner, where they couldn't be overheard. "Did we have to meet in public? Isn't it a danger to be seen together?"

"What's wrong with a few friends having lunch together?" Drevan laughed. "No one knows that Kira is more than one person, at this point. I'm sure the current L knows about the Death Note, but unless he touches one he won't be able to see the Shinigami. With the fact that two of them are colors besides black, and none of them have writing on the cover, it makes it nearly impossible to find. What could L do, check every black notebook in the city? And he'd still miss Taro's and mine." Drevan's notebook was a bloody red color, granted to him by his Shinigami.

"Right." Emi agreed. She smiled at Drevan. "Perfect logic, Drevan."

Mizuki rolled her eyes. "So all we have to do is keep up the killings, right? Eventually the crime will stop, when they realize that Kira's back with a vengeance. Then we'll get the world that the original Kira strived for."

"Correct. And we'll secretly have the power. We won't strive for godhood, but lead from the shadows. Even if we come to a point where the world is secure, we can't rule it like the First Kira wanted to. That's what led to his downfall: his desire for power." Drevan said. "We're smarter than that."

Taro, who had been quiet till that point, piped up to ask, "And what do we do about Kira and L's reincarnations? We can't just leave them alone. They know what's happening."

Drevan looked thoughtful. "The best option would be to kill them, as soon as possible." he mused. "But we don't know their names, and we don't know where they live. It would be a waste of time to trek all over Tokyo looking for them to see their names. We may as well leave them alone for now. Even if they were to go to someone with what they know… if they so much as mention Shinigami or reincarnation, whoever they talk to will think that they're crazy. We're safe from them, I think. But eventually, they'll have to die."

The group talked for a while longer, before going their separate ways. Taro headed for home with Ryuk. When he got off the subway, he started up the street to his house, taking an opportunity to talk to the laughing Shinigami.

"So you can't tell me their names, right, Ryuk?"

Ryuk chuckled. "Nope. Shinigami aren't allowed to give out the names of other humans. It's in the rules. You should look it up."

Taro thought of his notebook, safe underneath his mattress. His was different from the others in the way that all of the rules were written out. Not just the basics, but every rule that applied to human use of the notebook. It had been helpful thus far, especially for determining what he could and couldn't control a person into doing before they died. He wasn't allowed to control someone to kill Kira and L, and he wasn't allowed to ask Ryuk for their names either. Names from their past lives also wouldn't work, and he didn't know L's previous name anyway.

In any case, they still had time to figure out their names. But Drevan was absolutely right in one respect.

Eventually, they'd have to die.

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And so the bad-guy squad makes their next move. The plot's gotten its ass back in gear after recovering from a fluff overdose, so we've actually made some progress this chapter!

Next chapter is HUGE. It's at least a full page longer than any of the others have been so far. Yes, it's already written. No, I'm not posting it now because I want to have a decent stock of chapters in reserve for the summer, when I won't be able to type every day. Freakin' school laptops.

So, be prepared for a great chapter next time!  
Hug!  
Li


	10. Connect

Chapter 10: Connect

The killings escalated over the next week. New criminals died everyday, in numbers too vast to be done by one person alone. Light had taken to keeping a map, with small marks on it indicating where killings had been concentrated. His latest theory was that there were at least six people, each taking a different continent. There was no other explanation for the huge numbers of dead criminals.

L had stopped watching TV altogether. The news continued to report the deaths daily, and when they weren't discussing who had been killed, they were discussing why Kira had chosen now to return. Already, there was a cult in Nagano stating that Kira wasn't a person; he was a true god that rose when humanity had reached the peak of vileness. They went on to say that people needed to repent, or become victims of Kira's righteous judgment. All of this, even though Near's victory seventeen years ago had proved that Kira was just a man. Watching it all was making L feel sick. It seemed as though Japan was at the center of it all, probably because Kira had originally come from Japan.

_You are in the Kanto region of Japan, and your first victim was nothing more than an experiment to test your powers!_

L took a bite of his cake, sighing. The world was falling more and more into confusion, and L could only watch and wish he couldn't see.

Light came over, sitting down next to him. "I'm trying to pinpoint a pattern in the times the victims die, to get a relative idea if they're all being done from the same time zone. Like here. Want to help?"

"No." L said, through a mouthful of cake. "I do not. I told you before, I do not want to be involved with this."

Light stared at him a second. "We have to be involved, whether you like it or not. We're the only ones who know what's going on!" He knew that that was only part of the reason he wanted to help. He still felt guilty, especially since they were using the name he created. He wanted to end what he had started over twenty years ago, and put 'Kira' to rest forever.

"I am not L anymore, Light-kun!" L snapped. "Not the one whose responsibility this would be. Let Interpol and the real L handle this. Besides, if Near is still L at this point, he knows full well what has happened! Let him handle it!"

"Does he know that Kira is in Japan? Does he have a name? Taro Kagami! Emi! Whoever they are, your precious Near doesn't know about them!" Light said loudly.

L ignored him, grabbing his laptop from the table and opening it to check his e-mail. He clicked through the useless things sent to him before finding one from his parents. Raising an eyebrow, he opened it and read it quickly to himself. Light was glaring, upset at being ignored. L finally looked up, smiling to himself. "My parents want me to come home and visit."

"Do they?" Light asked. "I guess that's good…" He felt slightly thrown by how abruptly the topic had changed. L had managed to completely throw off the nice argument he had been preparing.

"Yes. I haven't seen them in a few months. It would be good to go home, just for a bit. My mother's birthday is in about a week." L said. "I'll have the money, once I finish this recent translation I've been working on…" He got up, setting the laptop aside and wandering into the kitchen. Picking a sugar cube out of the bowl, he was silent for a long while, apparently lost in thought. Light stared at him, watching curiously as different expressions flicked across the other's features. Finally, L murmured softly, "Light-kun?"

"Yeah?"

L frowned at the sugar bowl. "When I return to France, I believe I will remain there. It is easy enough to find translation jobs no matter where you live, after all…"

Light stared at him, mouth hanging open in shock. "What?!" He couldn't believe what L had just said. "You're just going to leave, and not come back?"

"That's right." L said. "Like I have repeated many times by this point, I do not want to be involved in this, and living in the center of the city where it's happening is going to throw me into it whether I want to or not."

"What if the European Kira is in France?" Light asked. "You'll still be involved, no matter where you go!"

"Oh, do they have titles now? Differences by continent? Did you abandon your theory of all of them being in Japan?" L frowned harder. "Staying here would be stupid, especially if you're going to continue your crusade against Kira." He moved to walk towards the front door, adding only, "I'm going for a walk." He reached for the doorknob, but Light suddenly moved and grabbed him by the shoulders. L froze, staring at him in confusion. "What are you doing? Let go." He refused to show his true discomfort with Light grabbing him like that.

"You know what you're doing?" Light asked harshly, ignoring L's request. "You're _running away_, that's what you're doing. I never knew you were such a coward."

"Let go of me."

"No! You're going to hear me out." Light refused to let him move. L blinked, staring up into Light's face and noting the flicker of bloody crimson that tainted his mahogany eyes. _This_ was the Light he remembered, Light Yagami, shining through. Light leaned forward slightly, growling, "You called me your best friend the other day. If that's true, I don't see how you can just walk out of here, content to leave this to me and never see me again. Honestly, L! You're running! You're scared! I don't know what's gotten into you!"

L glared at him. "What's gotten into me? You don't know what you're talking about!" He wrenched backwards, freeing his shoulders from Light's grasp, ducking down and propelling his foot straight up into Light's chest. The other boy went flying backwards, and L felt the phantom sensation of an illusionary handcuff around his wrist. This time around, he was not yanked forward as well, but merely watched as Light hit the sofa hard, the feeling of handcuffs being only a part of his memory. He stormed forward, staring down at the boy angrily. "I sacrificed my _life_ to catch Kira, Light-kun! Gave up my place in this world for that case! Did I deserve what you gave me, a death at the end of a Shinigami's pen because you were too scared to show me what you really were? Too scared to come out and confront me openly, drag my name out of me, or even kill me yourself, without your notebook! My life was cases, Light-kun. Living in front of a computer to solve puzzles because it was all I knew how to do; the only way I knew how to live. I went up against Kira and died with a life unfulfilled. I missed so much. I'm not going to do that again. Not when I've been given a second chance. I won't fight something that will get me killed."

Light was still on the sofa, breathing heavily with a hand to his ribs. "You promised me once… that you would teach me to do that…" he wheezed. "I remember that…"

"That was when you were my friend, Light-kun." L said sharply. "One friend, I had, and he turned out to be Kira. Lucky me!" He laughed bitterly. "Kira was evil! A demon! As much of a God of Death as those Shinigami; bored, foolish, and in it for themselves!"

"Well I'm not Kira now!" Light shouted, still slightly out of breath. He forced himself to his feet, slamming into L and crushing the smaller boy up against the wall, grabbing L's arms so that he couldn't force him away. "You don't think that I ruined my own life by being Kira? The only good thing that came out of it was meeting you! Killing you was probably the worst mistake I ever made!" Light was past the point of considering what was coming out of his mouth, drawing ever-closer to the taboo memories he had promised himself not to consider. "I was miserable without you there to challenge me, fight me… work with me and against me… I was bored, just like those damn Shinigami!"

L squirmed, but the wall prevented him from ducking away and kicking him again. He wriggled uselessly, finally stopping altogether and glaring at Light, cursing the other for being sturdier, able to hold him so effectively. "At least you realize how stupid your actions were!"

"I let you die… I let Rem kill you… I let you leave me…!" Light hissed. "I'm not letting you leave me again!"

All the anger suddenly drained from L, leaving nothing but confusion in its wake. He stared at the boy pinning him to a wall, puzzled beyond belief. "What?"

"You said Kira was a God of Death?" Light asked softly. L nodded, unsure what the other was planning. Light grinned suddenly, and L suddenly recognized the real Light Yagami in Light Kagayaki's eyes, the one untainted by Kira. The one who had been L's friend. Light leaned in, beginning softly, "_L, do you know_…?" He felt, more than saw, L tense in his grasp at the words. The ex-detective remembered the first time he had heard those words, and the long mental war that had followed. Light met L's eyes purposefully, saying in a quiet voice, "_L, do you know, a God of Death loved you_?" And he pressed his lips to L's.

L froze completely. He didn't move, didn't react. Just stopped moving. Light pulled back and looked at him for a second, looking for some kind of emotion or reaction. Finding none, he let go of L's arms and walked over to sit back on the sofa. L stood for another moment, then walked slowly to a chair and sat down.

"Why would you…?" he tried to ask.

Light tipped his head back, resting it on the back of the sofa and staring at the ceiling. "Because I let you provoke me."

L stared at him. "You kissed me because I _provoked_ you?" His voice held incredulity. "So it meant nothing?"

"I didn't say that." Light continued to stare at the ceiling. "I wasn't going to go into that. Certainly not now. Probably not ever. But I was upset, and you were going to leave…"

L pulled his knees to his chest, trying to figure out what Light was trying to say. "You don't want me to leave." he theorized.

Light shifted to look over at L. "I remembered." he said simply. "When I wasn't Kira, when we worked together to catch the Third Kira, I… I guess I had a crush on you, to put it in the terms of the stupid and the high-school-aged."

"We're high-school aged." L pointed out.

"Yeah. That makes it appropriate, then." Light rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I never would have acted on it. You thought I was Kira, and you were L. Can you imagine the problems there?" L blinked. _Oh_, the things that could have gone wrong. Light grinned. "So when I regained my memories, and Rem killed you, that was about the time I realized that it really wasn't going to be possible to function without you around. I was miserable after you died. Kira was glad as all hell, but I was miserable."

"And you still…?"

"Can't function without you? Yes." Light replied. "I don't know why, but I'm too attached to you to let you leave me again."

L was silent a moment, thinking about everything Light had said. One word stuck out at him in particular, and he voiced it curiously. "Love…?"

Light winced. "Umm… I'm assuming that's a short way to say 'can't function without you'." He looked back up at the ceiling. "Damn it, this was why I never intended to say anything. You're so annoying, Ryuzaki!" With the name floating at the forefront of his memory, it came out without thought.

L laughed. "Ryuzaki?" Obviously Light's memory was functioning against him in this instance. "Not anymore. Try again, Light-kun."

Light sat up, a half-hearted glare focused on L. "Fine. You're so annoying, _Lawliet_." He smirked. "I guess that still has to stay a big secret, since we have another Kira running around."

"You can call me that if you want to." L said. "Not in public, though. Most people can't even say it properly." He blinked then. "So what do we do about…?"

Light continued to smirk. "We roll with it. If you want to, _Lawliet_." He got up, walking over and kissing L on the nose before heading for the kitchen. "Come on, I need coffee."

L followed him. "That's a good answer, but that's not what I was asking about. I meant Kira."

"Oh, you want to help now?"

"I considered it…" L admitted. "We can't keep running from what we were."

"I'm not running. You are." Light spooned coffee into the coffee maker.

"Yes, you are. You're trying to smother the guilt by trying to solve this. Don't lie." L stated bluntly. "Anyway, I have to accept what I was. I'll go home to Lyon for a few days; you can come if you want and then we can work on this."

"Sounds good. I think… Wait, Lyon?"

"Yes. So?"

"The Interpol headquarters is in Lyon. Isn't there an Interpol meeting in a week or two about the killings?" Light turned to look at L. "Obviously L's representative would be there. If we could get to Near, or whoever L is at the moment, we could tell them about Kira being in Japan again."

Realization dawned on L. "You're right. That has maybe a forty percent chance of working, but it's worth a try. I'll write back to my parents." He scurried off to grab his laptop. Light poured himself a cup of coffee, pouring one for L as well and adding nine sugar cubes. He couldn't help but grin behind the ex-detective's back.

L had used percentages again.

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This chapter didn't want to END. It just went ON and ON and ON… Seriously. I wanted to end when Light kissed him, you know, cliffie and all. But nooooo… There had to be an explanation, and then I remembered that the chapter was originally supposed to end with the stuff about Interpol and Lyon, and added that on too. Bleh…

So they both accept their memories and all is good. I can write L as L again, for the most part. Light-kun will slowly become more Kira-ish too, but VERY slowly. And Near is on the way! Fun!

Love and hugs! Hope you liked it! You don't know how long I agonized over this, changing parts, rewording parts, adding parts… I wanted it to be perfect. This is my favorite chapter, and I've written up to chapter 13, so that's saying something.

Li


	11. Home

Chapter 11: Home

L was again listing things off as he and Light stood outside the Shinjuku train station, waiting for the train that would take them to the airport. Light had bought his own plane ticket to go with L, as both had agreed that it would be safer to take on Interpol together than alone. Even if Near recognized them for what they were, he had no reason to do anything to Light. This was assuming that they even got to see Near in person.

"So, my mother's birthday is December the fourth, the Festival of Lights is on the eighth, and the Interpol meeting is the tenth." L said. "We'll have time to relax at some point on this pseudo vacation of ours."

"I understand about your mother's birthday, but what does this Festival of Lights have to do with anything?" Light asked. He glanced around the train station, as if Kira would suddenly pop out of the shadows to ambush them. There was something about this place…

L raised an eyebrow. "We are _not_ going to Lyon at the beginning of December without going to the Festival of Lights. I went every year before I moved here. It should be to Light-kun's liking, considering his name." Light rolled his eyes, and L added, "And to carry out anything involving Interpol, one must be in a good state of mind. I learned that when I used to have to work with them. Stubborn, all of them are. But in a bad way."

"So you're stubborn in a good way?" Light asked sarcastically.

"I am persistent, and have perseverance, Light-kun. There is a difference." L pointed out. "After all, I was correct, was I not?"

Light made a show of pretending to yawn. "Whatever. What train are we waiting for, again?"

L looked at the ticket. "The Yamanote line. The train leaves at three o'clock."

Again Light felt that bizarre chill that he had come to associate with something he should remember, and glanced around again. L tilted his head, trying to scrutinize Light's expression. "Light-kun is worried about something?"

Light frowned. "No, it's nothing, L."

"As I recall, you used to tell me that, and it was merely a lie to hide-"

"L, shut up, or I will kick you down those stairs." Light pointed to the stairs leading to the next platform over. L smiled innocently, turning to look at the large map of Japan on the wall.

When the train pulled up to the station, L grabbed his bag and got on-board without a thought. Light stepped up after him, getting on and turning around one last time to look as the doors closed.

_Yagami… Light!_

He shook his head. Something about this train was just off. He looked around, seeing L sitting in the corner seat, knees pulled to his chest. He frowned, motioning to the detective. "Can we go sit up in the middle? I… uh… hate sitting in the back of the car."

"That's completely illogical." L said. "The middle of the car is no different from the back" But he got up and followed Light anyway. Light suppressed the urge to sigh with relief. He remembered why this train was haunting him, but he wasn't going to tell L. No point. He just had to make sure to _never_ ride _this_ train ever again.

xXx

The plane ride was completely uneventful, with L sitting in his usual pose, chewing on his thumb and thinking for most of the flight. They slept on the plane, having taken the overnight flight to arrive mid-morning on December fourth.

L could drive, much to Light's surprise. He had expected that the other couldn't, considering that in their previous lives Watari had driven him everywhere, and they walked everywhere in Tokyo. But L had driven the rental car like he'd been doing it for years, and Light was free to doze off in the back and catch up on sleep. Not everyone could sleep like the dead on a plane like L could.

When Light woke, they had arrived at a small house on the outskirts of Lyon. The car was parked in the driveway, and L had opened the door to peer at Light lying across the backseat. Light blinked, before flailing at L leaning over him. He scrambled out of the car, noticing then the rare sound of L laughing.

"Come along, Light. My family is waiting." L said between laughs.

Light started to make a snide remark, and paused. "You didn't use the honorific."

L smiled wryly. "Of course not. We're in France, Light. I wouldn't use a Japanese honorific." Light nodded in understanding, following L up the walk and crushing the irrational part of him that was disappointed with the answer. They stopped at the front door, and L rang the doorbell.

A woman with long hair the color of raven feathers, the same as L's, opened the door. Her eyes, an impossibly dark blue, widened at the sight of them. "Lawliet!" She crushed him in a hug, and L hugged back tightly.

"_Bonjour, Mama…_" L replied, slipping easily into French. "I missed you. Is Papa inside?"

"_Oui_, he's cooking, actually. You came home for my birthday!" She opened the door to usher them in. "But who is this?" she asked, motioning to Light.

"This is my best friend, my roommate in Japan, Light Kagayaki. I asked him if he wanted to come with me, and he agreed. He speaks French."

Mrs. Corbeau smiled at Light. "Bonjour, Light."

"Bonjour…" Light said nervously, having never had to actually speak French to a French person before. L didn't count. "It's nice to meet you."

"Any friend of Lawliet's is welcome here." Mrs. Corbeau said. She reached out, ruffling L's hair gently. "Show him your room. I'm going to go make sure your father hasn't burned down the kitchen." As she started towards the kitchen, she added, "I'm glad you came home to visit, Lawli."

L smiled as she walked out of sight, then realized what she had said. He turned to look at Light, who was grinning and barely holding in laughter.

"Lawli?" the other boy asked, snickering.

L frowned. "Light-kun is acting immature."

"No, but seriously… Lawli?" Light asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Light-kun is making a big deal out of a name my mother has called me since I was little." L pouted. He waved Light to follow him, and started up the stairs. "Light-kun will have to sleep on the floor. I have a sleeping bag…" Light continued to grin, looping an arm around L's waist as they walked up the steps. L squirmed. "Light! Not with my parents around!"

"That's better." Light said. "I thought you weren't going to use the honorific as long as we were here." He thought for a second. "Can I call you Law?"

"Force of habit…" L muttered. "And no, you may not. That is a name for a set of rules in a justice system, not a person." He opened the door to his room, as Light let go of him, and went immediately to the closet to rummage for a sleeping bag as Light looked around the room.

One wall was covered in bookshelves. But not ordinary bookshelves. They looked like boxes, turned to balance on their corners and stacked on top of one another, all the way to the ceiling. It created a pattern much like a trellis. Books filled every cube, mystery novels, science-fiction, and adventure stories, as well as non-fiction books on almost every subject imaginable. So L liked to read. That much was obvious. The rest of the room was fairly sparse. A desk, a dresser, and a double bed were arranged against the walls, and in the corner by the window there was a reading lamp and a round chair. Even without an excessive amount of stuff, it was clear that the room was lived-in, and felt decidedly 'L'.

L emerged from the closet, rolled-up sleeping bag in his grasp. He watched Light look around for a few minutes, and asked curiously, "You find my room interesting?"

"Yeah…" Light turned to look at him. "So we're staying for a week?"

"Give or take a day or so." L said. He spread out the sleeping bag on the carpet, snagging a pillow out of the chair and tossing it to Light. "It'll be fun, won't it?"

Light smiled, dropping the pillow. He walked over to L, giving him a brief kiss. "Yeah. You have a nice family."

"Since realizing what my last life was, I think I appreciate them even more. Come on. Lunch will be ready shortly."

xXx

For four days, they enjoyed themselves. L's mother's birthday had been a quiet affair, just dinner and cake. L had no gift for her, but she told him that seeing him was gift enough. L took Light on a tour of Lyon, showing him the sights of the city. They located the Interpol headquarters in the 6th arrondissement, and scoped out the outside of the building, looking for all the world like happy tourists.

Finally, on the eighth, they were in L's house, getting ready to go to the Fête des Lumières, the Festival of Lights. Light had finished changing, and had disappeared into the bathroom to wash his face. L finished dressing, and dragged a hairbrush forcibly through his wild hair. Light returned from the bathroom, stopping dead in the doorway.

"_Damn_."

L looked up, a wry smile on his face. "Did Light think that I had no 'nice' clothes in my wardrobe?" L was standing up straight, wearing jeans that actually fit his slight form. A black turtleneck created a sharp contrast against his pale skin, and made his obsidian eyes seem even darker. His hair, still in its untamable loose spikes, was smoother, having actually been brushed. Light could only stare at him for a long moment, mouth open, before finally finding words.

"Wow, L…" What could he say? "You look… umm…" _Hot_ was the first word that came to mind. But he wasn't going to say that. _Cute_ was the second. He wasn't going to say that either. L waited, amused, as Light finally managed, "Nice. You look really nice. Brushing your hair does wonders…"

L laughed quietly. "I do occasionally wear things that aren't a white shirt and jeans. I never see a reason to wear nice things out in Japan. This is important." He beckoned to Light. "Come on, Light. We're going to be late."

They walked out into the cold December air to the car, and Light couldn't help but glance around. Before they'd left the house, L had lit candles and put them in every window. As he glanced down the street, he could see that the other houses had done the same.

As they drove into the city, Light could see that the people did take their festival seriously. Everywhere he looked, colored lights blazed forth into the sky, illuminating the night. L parked on a side street and motioned for Light to get out.

"It's better to walk around." he said.

Light trailed after him down the street, looking around eagerly. "What is the festival for, exactly?" he asked.

"I believe it is a celebration to the Virgin Mary." L replied, uncertain. "I am agnostic, and belong to no religion; therefore I am not entirely certain. I come merely for the lights." In the distance, the Opèra National de Lyon was lit up in a swirling mix of blue, violet, and gold light. L led them down the Rue de la République, the long street leading to the Place Bellecour. In the center of the open plaza, people were performing. Fire-dancers with different colored flames on strings swung the fire in elaborate arcs, creating arcs and swirls in mid-air. Others, more modern in glow sticks and blinking accessories, mingled in one large crowd. Lights were strung on the trees and statues, and all the buildings had lights in the windows like the houses in L's neighborhood.

Light could only look around in wonder. "This is amazing, L."

"Yes…" L murmured. "The real show is farther on, at the Basilica Notre-Dame de Fourvière." He reached out without thinking, taking Light's hand and walking in the direction of the basilica. Light smiled, following without protest.

When they reached the basilica, they joined the other people seated in the street in front of it, watching the light show. Different colored spotlights shifted, illuminating the building and the sky above. Lasers and other types of light mesmerized the crowd.

Light glanced over at L, who was watching the lights with a soft smile on his face. But at the same time, he was shivering slightly, having refused to wear a coat. He didn't like heavy clothing, which was why he stuck to his white shirt most of the time. Light had worn a coat and gloves, and was now probably far warmer than L. But looking at L's absorbed expression, he wondered if the ex-detective even noticed that he was cold.

He reached out, wrapping an arm around L and pulling the other against him. L broke from his reverie, glancing up at Light before looking forward again, scooting closer.

"Light?"

"Yeah?"

"What if we can't talk to Near?"

"I don't see why we wouldn't."

"But what if?"

"You've never worried about 'what ifs' before. But I suppose we would just have to go back to Japan and do this ourselves. Why?"

"Just considering all the possibilities. I wanted to see your opinion on an alternate course of action." L sighed, snuggling against Light's side. "Light?"

"Yeah?"

"…Nothing."

Light glanced down at him. L's eyes were directed back at the building, his gaze intent. Light smiled, ruffling L's hair before settling back to watch the show. It might not be love, yet, but there was definitely something between them. In two days, they would be going to the Interpol headquarters to try to head off Watari, who L was convinced was a man called Roger from Wammy's House. But even if they didn't succeed, they would stop Kira on their own. With both L and the original Kira against them, the imposters wouldn't stand a chance.

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I'm indulging myself with the Festival of Lights. Again, I give massive thanks to Wikipedia. The amount of research I put into this stuff is absurd.

I'll probably have a chapter sometime in the future where they go to Shibuya, to explore a town from Light's home country, and because I've been playing way too much TWEWY. If you've never played Square-Enix's _The World Ends With You_, you should! It's a fabulous DS game. :) (Oh, Joshua, you bastard, I love you so much…)

I want L's bookshelves. X3

Anyway… Interpol next chapter. It was originally supposed to have Near in it, but it got WAY to long and I split it in two. So you'll see the current Watari, but Near will have to wait. The school collected laptops yesterday, so my writing time is going to be severely limited. Good thing I have quite a few chapters of this pre-written. :)

BTW, if anyone can tell me why Light's freaked out by that train, I'll do something nice for you!

Luv!  
Li


	12. L's Shadow

Chapter 12: L's Shadow

There was an impossible amount of security outside the Interpol headquarters. Everyone in the city knew there was a meeting going on, because civilians were denied going closer than one-hundred feet from the building. This was to deter attempts at attacks and other things, because if Interpol fell, so too did the world's primary international criminal information source.

Light and L were sitting on a bench opposite the building, watching people circumvent the area. It was clear that most of the city understood what went on when Interpol was having a meeting.

"Is it always like this?" Light asked, watching the security force shoo some guy away.

"From what I can remember, yes." L replied. "They take guarding Interpol's representatives seriously. Ever since about forty years ago, when someone tried to set a bomb in the building, it's been security levels like this."

Light glanced over at his companion. "Well then, how are we supposed to find Watari? No offense, but looking like that, they're going to think you're a terrorist or something."

"You think I look like a terrorist?" L asked, his head tilted. He sounded genuinely curious, and slightly hurt.

Light sighed. "No. But that's because I know you, L. People who don't…"

"What do I look like, then?" L interrupted.

"A panda." Light said immediately. "Now, like I asked before, how are we going to…?"

"A panda? Really?" L mused to himself. He could understand where people found the comparison, but still… Sensing Light's annoyance, he smiled, saying, "Don't worry. I know how we can find him easily. There is a special way out of the building that he would always leave through, when it was still Mr. Wammy." Light blinked, and L sighed. "Don't act like you didn't know his name, Light. Anyway, it was one of the things to be passed on to the next L and Watari, so they would continue to use it. We can be sure to find him there as soon as the meeting has ended. But we'll have to move quickly."

Light rolled his eyes. "I assume it's inside the guarded zone?"

"Of course. But it is behind the building, and will hopefully only have a guard or two." L said, uncharacteristically optimistic. "If we cut through the wooded area behind the building, we should be able to get there without being spotted."

They waited for a long time. Nothing seemed to change, and Light finally leaned over to L and whispered, "How long are these meetings?"

"They can last hours." L replied. "That security guard is staring at us oddly."

"Of course he is. We've been sitting here for over two hours, staring at the Interpol building." Light pointed out. "What do we do about it?"

L blinked, then said innocently, "We are in France. Public displays of affection are common. We could be sitting here together because…" Light beat him to the end of the sentence, wrapping an arm around L's shoulders and tugging him close. L smiled, leaning his head on Light's shoulder, waving at the security guard who immediately began ignoring them. "Even security will leave people alone who appear to be lovers." L said, amused. "We _have_ done nothing threatening, after all."

"Should I pretend to propose or something, Lawli?" Light asked, teasing.

"Light! Don't call me that!" L scowled.

The security guard glanced back, and started coming towards them. When he was near enough, he stopped and asked, "Can I ask what you two are doing here?"

L started to say something, but Light tightened the arm around his shoulders and said, "My boyfriend wants to be a detective, and I brought him so that he could see how security works around Interpol's headquarters." His French was flawless, and L could see that the guard appeared convinced. "We'll leave when the meeting is over."

The security guard nodded, and L noted disapprovingly that Light's ability to lie and lie _well_ was still perfectly intact. After the guard had walked away, he glanced up at Light. "I worry about your ability to lie to people."

"Hypocrite, if I remember correctly." Light said. "You lie just as much as I do."

L nodded, leaning against Light. "I know." They continued watching the building, seeing that a trickle of people was finally beginning to come out, surrounded by security personnel. L watched carefully, murmuring, "Hopefully security will be so busy seeing to the safety of the representatives, they won't notice us."

Light got up, following L as the detective strolled normally in the direction of the street that led away from the building, darting sideways into the trees at the last minute. He led Light through the woods, and the building itself soon faded from sight completely.

"Do you know where you're going?" Light asked, tripping over a tree root and cursing under his breath. "If I had known we were going hiking, I'd have brought my boots."

"This doesn't even count as a forest, Light. Just a particularly thick group of trees. Of course I know where we're going." L replied. "I waited in the car often enough. With my laptop, obviously, so I wasn't bored, but I did come and simply wait for Watari a few times." He reached back, grabbing Light's arm and steering him towards clearer ground. "It will be easier to walk over here. In any case, where the car was parked was actually quite a distance from Interpol's headquarters itself, accessible through an underground passage on the inside of the building."

"Doesn't that seem the least little bit overkill?" Light asked. L had been right. It was easier to walk. There was a natural trail here.

L glanced back at him, his dark eyes unreadable. "Nothing was too much when it came to Watari's and my safety. Think about it, Light. If someone had managed to attack or kill Watari, supposedly L's only link to Interpol, what would happen then? Not to mention that Watari was practically my father. If he was going to put himself in danger for me, I was going to do everything I could to ensure his safety."

Light sighed almost inaudibly, grabbing L's hand and squeezing it in a silent apology. L got it, and smiled faintly. "We're almost there."

A small clearing came into view, where a car was parked at the end of a single, smooth dirt road. It was L's familiar black car, the one that had so impressed all those university students years ago. L stopped just outside the clearing, scanning the area. There was a single guard standing beside the car. No one else was in sight.

Suddenly, part of the ground seemed to shake, and a trapdoor opened out of the ground. A man in a black hat and trenchcoat stepped up out of it, nodding to the guard and walking towards the car.

"Wait!" L called, dragging Light with him as he stepped out. The guard immediately reached for his gun, but didn't draw it. Watari stopped, turning to look at them even though they couldn't see his face.

"What do you want?" the guard demanded. "You're not authorized to be in this area!"

"Please," Light said, directing his words to Watari. "We need to speak to L."

Watari stared at them, before his voice came from beneath the hat and high collar. "That's impossible. L speaks to no one in person."

"Then we won't speak to L." L said, leaving Light to gape at him in confusion. "We would like to speak to Near."

There was dead silence for a full ten seconds, before Watari asked, "How do you know him?" L glanced at Light. Both of them thought back to the time they had known the white-headed boy. Both wondered briefly how he would look, grown up. And both thought of their connection to him.

_He was my protégé._

_I tried to kill him._

L frowned. "You wouldn't believe us if we told you. Let us speak to him. I… I'm ninety-nine percent certain he'll recognize us."

Watari stared at them another minute, then sighed and told them to get in the car. It was only after they were trundling down the dirt road, back towards the main road, that L dared to pipe up and ask, "Are you Roger?" _Roger would have recognized me…_

He reached up and pulled his hat off, revealing a young man with sandy-colored hair and green eyes. "You really do know more than you tell. Roger passed away two years ago. My name is…" He paused. "You're not Kira, are you?"

Light scowled, as the too-familiar accusation struck a nerve. L was quick to respond, "No, we're friends of Near's. We have information for him about the current Kiras."

The young man sighed. "All right. My name is Carter. Carter Mason. Do you know about Wammy's House, then?" When they nodded, he frowned. "You seem very in the thick of this. I can't believe no one's ever mentioned you. Anyway, I went there as a school for the gifted, not an orphan. After I left, I joined the FBI for a few years, before agreeing to be Watari after Roger died. Near called me because I was a former Wammy's kid. I'm not sure why I trust you, telling you all this… It's probably because…" He glanced back at them for a second, before looking back at the road. "Probably because you know Near, and because you in particular remind me of him. I usually have good intuition with that sort of thing." He gestured vaguely at L. "I'll let you know when we get there. Near's staying in a hotel nearby."

L looked over at Light, grinning. Light couldn't help but think that the expression looked surprisingly devious on him. L wrapped his arms around his knees and said, "Near will definitely recognize us. He's not one to forget that easily." Wary of saying too much in front of Carter, they lapsed into silence, certain this time that their plan would work. As the hotel came into view, they knew that Near was there, waiting for them.

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Shorter chapter this time! Sorry. There's only so much I can do with breaking into Interpol. Please excuse all silliness; I was in a weird mood writing this chapter. By the way, Carter really isn't important... Just to let everyone know... I repeat, it's been SEVENTEEN YEARS.

Doesn't L seem like the type of person to have a secret passage in and out of Interpol? :)

And now, finally… (drumroll) NEAR!! A thirty-five-year-old Near. Heaven help us. This should be entertaining. And so, concluding the first part of what was going to be one chapter…

Hugs!  
Li

PS: Since so many people got the train thing right, I'm doing something nice for all of you, and putting two chapters up! Luv!


	13. Toy Shop Madness

Chapter 13: Toy Shop Madness

Carter took them to the penthouse. L and Light really weren't surprised. Even though Near wouldn't appreciate the room, it certainly suited someone of his rank. Carter worried the entire elevator ride, asking repeatedly, "You're sure he'll know who you are? I could be in serious trouble…"

"It's all right." Light said. "We knew him when he was younger. We haven't been in touch in a long time."

"I seriously doubt he's forgotten us." L added. "We had too much of an impact on him to allow him to forget." He and Light shared a glance, remembering everything that both of them had contributed to Near's life. Goals and loss. Challenge and victory.

Carter looked puzzled. "May I ask how you met Near?"

L shook his head. "Let us see him first. If he wants to, he can explain everything."

They reached the top floor, and Carter knocked on the door to the multi-room suite. An affirmation reached their ears, and Carter opened the door.

"I'm back!" he called, pulling the trenchcoat out of his bag and hanging it up with the hat. He had taken the coat off in the car, to avoid being recognized as Watari. Light and L trailed after him uncertainly. He went around the corner into the living area.

"How did it go?" Near asked. L suppressed the urge to gasp. Near sounded just the same. He could close his eyes and easily imagine that when he walked around the corner he would see the same eighteen-year-old he had watched orchestrate Light's downfall. He reached for Light's hand, holding on tightly as they walked around the corner. Near's back was to them, as he built a house of cards on the kitchen table. In that regard, apparently he hadn't changed much.

"It went fine. Interpol's worried about the new killings, obviously. They've requested your help, since you've worked on this case before." Carter said.

Near sighed, his eyes still on his cards. "They should have anticipated that someone as powerful as Kira would not go away forever. I believe I warned them of that after the original Kira was killed."

Carter glanced back at Light and L. "Near, umm…" he began hesitantly. "There were some people who wanted to speak to you…"

Near stiffened. "Who?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but they seem like I can trust them."

"Are they _here_?"

"…Yes."

Near turned around in the swivel chair he was sitting in. "Carter, it was entirely foolish to…" He trailed off as he saw Light and L standing in the doorway. The card he was holding in his hand dropped to the floor, forgotten. "Carter?"

"Yeah, Near?"

"Could you leave for a while, please?"

Carter nodded, completely confused. He left the room, and Near stared at them in shock.

Near looked remarkably similar to how he had looked seventeen years ago. He was one of those people who don't change much as they get older. His hair was slightly longer, fluffed up almost to the beginnings of being curly. He still dressed in white, but his clothing looked less like pajamas and more like normal clothes. His eyes were as intense as both remembered, a flat onyx that seemed to want to draw you in, like a black hole. Those eyes were currently wide, subtle confusion filling them to the point of spilling over.

"L…?" he whispered, half to himself. His eyes drifted from L to Light, and narrowed. "Light Yagami… Kira…" Turning back to the table, he hit the tabletop sharply with one hand. The card castle collapsed on itself, forming an almost-neat pile. "What's going on?" he muttered.

"Near…" L said. "We–"

"L." Near interrupted. He turned back around, and Light was astonished to see that cold, emotionless Near seemed almost upset. Anger glinted faintly in his eyes. "If this is a gift, then I'll say my piece now. You don't know how long I've wanted to talk to you, since you died." He paused. "You showed yourself to _him_, when you knew that he would kill you if he got the chance. Why did you do that? Why did you leave me and Mello to cope by ourselves?"

"I didn't mean to die, Near. I thought I could beat him before he killed me." L said. "This is my friend, Light Kagayaki. We're not L and Light Yagami. We're their reincarnations." Near watched them, his face giving away nothing. L decided to continue, saying quietly, "We're here about the new Kiras."

Near took a deep breath, walking over into the small kitchen. He retrieved a chocolate bar from the cabinet, returning to stand back in front of the table. He unwrapped it before taking a bite from the corner. L watched the entire series of events before saying a confused voice, "But, Near… You don't like chocolate." Ever since he could remember, Near had never been fond of chocolate. Smarties, Necco wafers, things like that were okay. But never chocolate. He claimed it was too sweet for his tastes.

Near smiled bitterly. "I don't like strawberry shortcake either, but I eat it anyway, sometimes." L's eyes widened, and even Light could understand where he was coming from on this account. Near pulled out his chair, sitting down and taking another bite of chocolate. He motioned to the chairs on the other side of the table. "Sit, please."

When L and Light were seated, he was silent a long moment, seemingly trying to think of what to say. Light chanced speaking up to ask, "You believe us when we say that we were reincarnated?"

"I've seen enough things that I can believe that. Shinigami exist, after all, as well as murder notebooks." Near replied. "Honestly, I might believe just about anything now." He glanced at L, who looked deep in thought. "L… Should I call you L? Or is that me, now?"

"I go by L as a nickname, short for my real name, Lawliet." L explained. "You can call me L."

"L, then…" Near said. "You have no idea, really. How important you and Mello and Matt were to me. After Mello died… Really, I had nobody left that I cared about. I would never show it, but I was broken. It took almost a year for me to come to terms with what had happened. During that time, I played L. I solved the cases, I caught the criminals. When it finally, finally sunk in that none of you were coming back, I started to get over it. But I still eat chocolate now and then, and strawberry shortcake, for both Mello and you. And I have people to care about again."

The door to the apartment opened, and a loud voice called, "Near, I got the information from the Japanese police that you asked for…" Stephen Loud came around the corner, brandishing a flash drive triumphantly. He definitely looked older, reflecting the fact that he was now forty. But his blue eyes still held the same fire they did when they were chasing X-Kira.

"Good work, Gevanni." Near said. "Thank you."

"No probl– Oh my god!" Gevanni stopped dead at the sight of Light and L. He had no clue who L was, but Light was someone he recognized for sure. "Near… Wha… What the hell is going on?"

"Gevanni, please calm down." Near requested quietly. Gevanni took a deep breath, his eyes on Light. "This is Light Kagayaki and Lawliet…"

"Corbeau." L supplied.

"Lawliet Corbeau." Near continued, not missing a beat. "They are the reincarnations of Light Yagami and L, and they are here, I believe, with information about Kira." Gevanni looked slightly dumbfounded, but nodded faintly.

"How do we know _he's_ not Kira?" he muttered to himself. Light didn't hear. L did, but chose not to comment. If Near heard, he ignored it.

Light glanced at Near, smiling wryly. "Kept the SPK, did you?"

Near blinked at him, as if debating whether to acknowledge him, and then nodded. "Gevanni, Halle, and Commander Rester agreed to stay on and work for me after the Kira incident. I… would not have made it this far without their support."

Gevanni smiled. "Near pays well, and the things we get to do with him are far more interesting than the FBI or CIA could offer."

Near nodded, then looked to L and Light. "All right. What can you tell us about Kira?"

"Well," L began, "There's a boy in Tokyo with a Death Note. His name is Taro Kagami. From what we heard, he appears to be Teru Mikami's nephew. There's also another person that we are less sure of, called Emi. Taro mentioned her during the time that we met him. We're not sure how many people there are, but we know that with killings on this scale, it has to be more than one or two people."

Near nodded. "I already determined that it was multiple people. But I didn't know any names."

"He's only a child. We're not entirely sure what his circumstances are." Light said. Near nodded thoughtfully.

"I shall have to call Interpol back. They won't be happy, but even L needs authorization to go into a country with his own people." He spoke almost ruefully, as if he wished that Interpol would let him do as he pleased. L knew the feeling. The feeling of _I'm the best damn detective on the planet and you all would fail without me now let me do what I want!_ Near shook his head slightly, then asked, "Are you staying nearby?"

"We were staying at my parents' house, but we have a plane back to Japan tomorrow at one o'clock." L replied. Near nodded, and pulled out a scrap of paper, scribbling down numbers quickly.

"This is my private phone number. It's a secure line, so call me if you find anything else."

L nodded. "Thank you, Near."

Near looked over at Gevanni. "Will you drive them where they need to go?" As Gevanni went to get a jacket, he looked back at the two boys, younger than him and yet older. "I forgive you." he said quietly. "Light, I forgive you for Kira, because I think I finally understand why you did it. It took seventeen years, but I finally understand. And L… I forgive you for dying on me."

L blinked. "Near…"

"No, honestly. You don't know how many times I blamed you for dying, for leaving me and Mello to do it all, and for Mello sacrificing himself for my life, so that I could win. I blamed you for all of it, for the longest time. I _hated _you, even, for a while. But it wasn't your fault." He paused. "That's why your finger puppets were ugly. You and Kira, the two people I hated most at that point."

L didn't say anything, but walked over and embraced Near. Near hugged him back tightly, and for a moment Light could see the old L, holding the child-Near he had known. Then L turned back to Light, saying only, "We'll keep in touch."

Near nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

As they walked down to the car, trailing behind Gevanni, Light glanced at L.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly in Japanese.

L looked at him, his wide eyes puzzled. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I mean… Near was… Near was important to you, right?"

L looked at the ground. "Near was always the most similar to me. Him, and Mello, and Matt… I loved them all equally, but Near reminded me of myself. It hurts to know that Mello and I getting killed hurt him so much. Light-kun could understand that, yes?"

Light nodded. "Yeah. Probably how I felt after Rem killed you. I don't think I've ever hurt so badly. Like I told you, Kira was thrilled, but my heart was broken."

Gevanni turned around to stare at them, and Light suddenly remembered that the blue-eyed man could speak Japanese. But Gevanni said nothing, continuing towards the car. Light glanced at L, going back to English, which they had been speaking with Near. "Near seems a lot different than he was when I met him."

Gevanni spoke up from in front of them. "Near opened up to us a lot after the case was over, about L's death and a lot of other things. His past, Mello and Matt… He's learned not to hide things from us, and he's more open with people he knows. Like you." He paused. "He learned he cannot survive alone."

L smiled. "I'm glad. He needed people. I always thought so, but Wammy's policy was to let us be how we would, so I never said anything to him." He glanced at Light. "I'm glad he's doing well."

As they reached the car, Light said, "So, we're heading home?"

"Yes, tomorrow." L replied. "Hopefully the state of things in Japan hasn't gotten worse for our absence." He looked up at Light. "I guess we'll have to see what we can do when we get there."

Light nodded, and they climbed in the car. Giving Gevanni directions to L's parents' house, it was a quiet ride for the entirety of the way there. When they arrived, they thanked Gevanni, and promised to call Near if they found anything. They also wished them luck with Interpol, because the representatives were sure to bitch at being called back again. Then they went inside to pack for the trip home, knowing that upon the return to Japan, the game would be taken to the next level.

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No comment. All I can do is repeat: 17 years. Enjoy your nice thing. :)


	14. Return

Chapter 14: Return

When they got back, L and Light were happy to discover that Japan had not fallen into mass chaos or been taken over by insane Kira worshippers. Other than the news continuing to speculate over the deaths, most things involving Kira stayed underground, whether they were support or praise. Home was a comforting thing, with Near's phone number stuck to the refrigerator and no evidence of anything being wrong.

L wanted to play chess, having dragged an old set out of one of the closets. Light agreed, and they spent the entire afternoon after getting home attempting to outmaneuver each other's pieces.

Sometime during the middle of the game, L glanced up at Light. "Light?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

Light looked up from where he was contemplating his move, frowning. "Are you trying to distract me?" He didn't put it past the detective to try something sneaky. After all, he himself had said that he was childish and hated to lose.

"No…" L replied. He looked thoughtful, saying, "It was something Gevanni said, while we were in Near's hotel room. I don't think you heard him."

"What was it?" Light carefully shifted the board to the other end of the table, and then leaned on his elbows, looking at L.

L blinked. "…If you had the chance, would you become Kira again?"

Light's eyes widened. "L! What…? Why would you think that? Kira's ideals are wrong; we both know that!"

L looked away. "That, too, is what you believed when you didn't have any memories. You thought that Kira deserved to be punished. And yet, when your memories came back, there was no remorse, no regret, and no hesitation. What causes a child to become a murderer, and why can't it happen again?" L would never admit it to Light, but he was genuinely worried. If for some reason Light did become Kira again, and get his hands on a murder notebook… He knew L's name. He knew L's family; everyone important to him. And he could do away with all of them in less than a minute. "Please, Light. Be honest with me about Kira, for once in two lives."

Light got up, walking around the table and sitting down next to L. He wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, feeling L lean into the hug. Resting his chin on L's head, he said softly, "I doubt that I could ever kill people on that scale ever again. It's too much. But I won't say that I'm not capable of murder. If it was for a legitimate reason, like self-defense, or… or to protect you…"

L looked up at him. "You were honest that time, weren't you?" He actually believed it, probably for the first time.

Light smiled faintly, nodding. "Yeah." He pushed L up into a standing position, saying, "We should probably go to sleep. Otherwise the time zone differences will kill us tomorrow. We can finish our chess match in the morning."

L nodded, walking off to his room to put on pajamas. As he slipped into his shirt, he considered what Light had said. _Or to protect you…_ If that was how Light felt… L found himself astonished that Light cared about him that much. _Can't function without you…_ But he wouldn't let Light become a killer again because of him. He would rather die than lose Light to Kira again.

There was a soft knock, and the door opened slightly. Light poked his head in, looking around. L glanced at him. "What is it?"

"I had a question." Light said. He waited until L's full attention was on him, before asking, "How do you see me? What am I to you?"

L understood what he was asking. However roundabout Light had put it, _Can't function without you_, he had still gotten the point across that he definitely cared about L. But L really hadn't done the same. He stared at the carpet for a moment, before admitting, "I don't know."

Light blinked. "What do you mean?"

L sighed, walking over to put his shirt away. "I don't know what it's supposed to feel like, so I can't be sure of how I feel about you. Before, I was the World's Greatest Detective. With a job like that, you don't really have much time to get to know people. I wasn't lying to you when I said that you were the first friend I'd ever had."

"So, in France…" Light began.

"That was me trying to figure out what I felt for you. I thought if I played along, I would figure it out sooner or later. But that's really not fair to you."

"You…" Light looked slightly hurt, but there was really nothing L could do to change that. No more lying.

"I don't know what more I can say, Light, other than that I haven't figured it out yet." He turned away. "I'll see you in the morning." Light turned and left without a word, and L almost felt bad. But it was the truth. Sometimes the truth hurt.

xXx

The next day, after finishing the chess game, they were lounging around doing nothing when a knock came on the front door. L got up curiously, opening the door only to be tackled to the floor in a hug.

"Oof!" He felt the air leave his lungs in a whoosh.

"L-kun!" Momi yelped. "How have you been?! Are you doing okay?!"

L struggled to his feet, pushing her up with him. "Momi? How did you find out where I was?"

"I knew you were staying with Light-kun, so I looked it up!" she said cheerfully. L swallowed hard.

"That's… great…" He could only hope with all of his being that Taro Kagami wasn't smart enough to think of that. He motioned Momi to come in, leading her back to the living area where Light was sitting.

"Momi?" Light asked curiously. "Why are you here?"

"Well…" The gypsy sat down in one of the chairs, smoothing her brightly colored skirt. "I'm leaving in a few days. You know, moving on to a new place. One of the great things about being a gypsy, getting to travel and see new places. But I wanted to see you two before I left." She looked up, bright eyes sparkling beneath red hair. "You two are by far the most interesting I've ever met. Did your fortune come true yet?"

Both looked at each other, raising an eyebrow. Momi blinked, before pulling out her deck of Tarot cards. "Oh, yes! I wanted to tell you… The card that fell face-down during Light's draw, last time… It was an accompanying card to the Two of Cups. Card VI." She pulled it out to show it to them. "The Lovers."

L's eyes widened, and Light gaped at her. Both glanced quickly at each other, then away. "Ahh…" L voiced, the only sound that he appeared to be able to make. "You _predicted_ that?" This would be a lot less awkward if they hadn't _just_ had that conversation last night.

Momi grinned. "I was right, then! Good for you, guys!" They glanced at each other awkwardly. She looked down at the deck, shuffling the card back in with practiced skill. "I wanted to ask you, too… You can each draw a card. Take it to keep, for your futures. I… don't normally do this, but you two are something else. So if you want to, I will."

They looked at each other, seeming to communicate without words. Both nodded, and L leaned forward. "I'll draw first, Momi."

She smiled faintly, holding out the deck to him. He pulled a card at random, turning it over and holding it up to her. She grinned, shaking her head. "The Two of Cups. You two…" Going into full-on interpreter mode, she began, "A symbol of a bond, the power of two. Two forces coming together, creating one. You two have a bond stronger than I've seen in a long time. Soul mates, you might even go so far to say." She handed L the card, saying, "Keep it. It's yours."

Light moved over to sit by L on the couch, ruffling his raven hair. "Soul mates, huh? Across two lives, I can believe that." L frowned slightly. Ignoring him, Light reached out for a card. Drawing one, he blinked at it, flipping it over to better see what it was. He held it out to Momi, who frowned.

"The Lightning-Struck Tower. Crisis, disruption, revelation, realizing truth…" She looked up at Light. "You drew this upside-down?" He nodded, and Momi sighed. "You are currently in a difficult and chaotic situation. Your resolve will be tested. Drawn against the two of cups, I would say that your bond will be tested as well. You are falling, but in the end you will land safely." She handed the card back to Light, and he frowned.

"So the chaotic situation will end well?" he asked quietly.

Momi's face settled into a serious expression. "All endings are what you make them. The cards believe that you have the heart to make the ending well, but it's up to you what ending you make it. They're not magic. They don't control your actions. _You_ control your actions, Light-kun." She sighed. "A happy ending? A happy ending can be different for different people. Since it's your card… An ending could be happy for you, but not necessarily happy for L, or anyone else you could care to name. It depends on you, and what you would be happy with."

"I would be happy with L." Light said firmly. Momi blinked, then smiled.

"You're lucky, L." L sighed, staring up at the ceiling. Everything was just stacking up against him, wasn't it? Momi stood up. "I'll miss you guys. I hope you're both happy with each other." She stepped around the table to give first Light, then L, a hug. L walked with her to the door, stopping just before opening it.

"Thank you, Momi… I honestly don't think I could have dealt with the beginning of this without your help." L said quietly.

Momi laughed. "I told you, L, you had an interesting future. I could tell, and I wanted to see what would happen. I didn't know, to this degree…" L started to say something, realizing that she really didn't understand what was happening, but Momi shook her head. "I don't want to know. I have a fairly good idea what's up with you two, but that's your business, not mine." She hugged L, one last time. "Be happy, L. I'll miss you. Maybe we'll meet again someday."

"Goodbye, Momi." L watched as she disappeared down the hallway, and walked back to sit down next to Light again. He settled against the arm of the couch, saying, "I think she knows what we are. Reincarnated, I mean. She's fairly intuitive."

"Yeah…" Light replied. "You know the strangest people, L." He laughed as L lightly whacked him on the head. "I was kidding!"

L smirked, in a much better mood. "Of course you were. Otherwise, you would be including yourself in that descriptive statement."

Light reached up and ruffled his hair absently. "Shut up." he said, but it was spoken in an amused tone. He glanced over at the window, saying then, "But tomorrow's going to be tough, right? Because we start chasing Kira?"

"Yes…" L murmured. "We have to figure out what's going on, because even if Near gets here in time, he won't know what to look for…"

"Well… We'll just have to be ready, then."

L nodded, reaching for the remote and turning the news on, possibly for the first time in weeks. It wouldn't hurt to start looking for answers now, even if the news wouldn't be very helpful. But no matter what they did, tomorrow was looking to be a long day.

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Anyone that I told I had to edit chapter 13, I got mixed up. It was this one. You wouldn't believe how many times I rewrote that middle conversation. Ick. I really don't like this chapter. In my eyes, it's worse than the Interpol chapter, and that really **was** a bad one.

Anyway, this brings to a conclusion Momi's part in this. She might show up in the ending, but I'm not sure yet. Anyway, villains next chapter. Yay! Let's see what they were up to while our boys were in France.

From now on, I should be able to update Monday mornings. Assuming, of course, that I've actually had time to get the chapter written. But having some kind of schedual will definitely make it easier.

Hugs!  
Li


	15. Dissent

Chapter 15: Dissent

"What do you mean you don't know where they are?!" Drevan cried into the phone. Taro, on the other end, flinched.

"I've been spying in that bakery that they show up at fairly often. They haven't been there in at least a week." he explained. Glancing at Ryuk, he added, "They could just be staying at home. I don't know where they live."

Drevan glared at the cordless phone resting in speakerphone mode on his coffee table. This conference call was not going the way he had expected. "And what happens, Taro, if they've left the country? What if they have a way to contact the current L? _What happens then?_"

"Drevan, it's not the end of the world." Mizuki's voice came through dryly. Himeko's joined it, adding, "We understand where you're coming from, but I think you're overreacting. They don't know that much about us. Other than Taro and maybe Emi, I don't think they know that the rest of us exist."

Emi came over, sitting down beside Drevan. "Taro, you mentioned me in their presence, right?"

"Yeah… I didn't mean to." Taro said guiltily. He liked it better when Emi was in charge. That week that Drevan had been in America was great. There was something about the man that gave Taro the chills. Almost like a Shinigami, but different. There was an air of darkness around him that Taro didn't like.

"Well…" Emi reasoned. "They can't get far on just that. How many Emi's are in Japan, after all? More than they could possibly check. And they don't know about Drevan, Mizu, Meko, or Teil. I think we're relatively safe for the time being."

Drevan sighed. "In any case, Taro, keep an eye out for them. Let Emi and I know as soon as they show up again. We need to keep an eye on them."

Teil had been silent up until this point, preferring to listen to the others debate. Finally, with a glance at Zellogi, his Shinigami, he said, "I don't understand why we can't just kill them."

Emi smiled, not surprised at the question. It was a very Teil-like thing to ask. Very to-the-point. She said quietly in response, "Teil, we can't do that because it would be murdering innocents. They aren't even anyone important. Not anymore. He's not L. He's merely a person who happens to know more than he should." She glanced at Drevan, who nodded. "If we kill them… Attacking the original L was the biggest mistake that the First Kira ever made. It destroyed his image of justice. If he were truly justice, he would have allowed the FBI and L to live, continuing his work despite them. It would have been worth the risk of being caught if he truly had a noble goal in mind. That is our goal. We will not harm innocents."

She could almost imagine Teil sulking on the other end. This was confirmed when he said sullenly, "But if he was Kira, then he _murdered_ those FBI people, and the original L. Doesn't that make him a criminal? And I heard from Taro that the original L tortured people to try for a confession."

"Taro?" Emi asked, puzzled.

His voice sounded sheepish over the phone. "That's what Ryuk said."

Emi sighed. "No, Teil. We can't punish them for a past life. That wouldn't be fair." Drevan smothered a laugh, recovering quickly when Emi glanced at him. Sitting up and leaning over to the phone, he said firmly, "Taro, just keep an eye out for them. Teil… don't do anything rash."

Good-byes were said all around, and Drevan hung up the phone. Emi slid down the couch to peck a kiss on his cheek.

"It'll be okay." she said. "We're safe." She got up, nodding towards the door. "I'm going upstairs. I think Shidoh's outside. See you later?"

He nodded absently, watching as she left the room. She had accepted his invitation to come live with him. It was a medium-sized house in the suburbs just outside of Tokyo. Drevan sighed, falling backwards to sprawl on the couch as Kinddara, the Shinigami possessing him, floated through the wall.

Kinddara Guivelostain was a vicious Shinigami, to say the least. She was far more inclined to kill humans than the other lazy Shinigami in their realm. She stared down at Drevan, who stared back up at her, completely unfazed.

"You aren't going to kill them?" she asked.

"No. Not yet, at least." he muttered. Kinddara scoffed.

"I will never understand the amount of thought you put into things, Dealer!" she said. Drevan sat up, his eyes glinting.

"Humans killing people and Shinigami killing people are very different." he said softly. Then, sharper, "Don't call me that, Kinddara."

"Why? Humans would have no idea what it means."

Drevan frowned. "While I'm flattered, I'm also not worried about humans. I'm more concerned with another Shinigami hearing that. Someone like Ryuk, who might tell Taro, who would obviously share it with everyone…" He rolled his eyes. "So help me…"

"You are no fun, Dealer." Kinddara said, just to antagonize him. Drevan scowled.

"I said not to call me that. Anyway, a more immediate problem than the reincarnations of certain troublesome people from the past is Teil. Damn maverick. He's going to do something stupid. All it is now is a matter of getting rid of him before he compromises the plan." He glanced at the Death Note, his notebook that shined a bloody crimson in the light. _Teil Miura_. It would be so _easy_. But there would be awkward questions to answer if he did it without provocation. Let the foolish _baka_ do something stupid first. "He thinks he can do whatever he wants, and that is the type of thinking that will get all of us exposed."

"So kill him. It shouldn't be a problem for you, Dealer."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT! NOT UNLESS YOU WANT ME TO –" Drevan stopped abruptly as he heard Emi on the stairs. He wasn't even really sure what he was going to threaten the Shinigami with. She had no addictions, like Shidoh and his chocolate or Ryuk and his apples. He couldn't wound or kill her either. Losing his temper would do no good now. Empty threats abandoned for the moment, he turned his attention to Emi.

"Is something wrong?" she said, sticking her head in the door, her expression worried.

"It's nothing." he said, attempting to be reassuring. "Kinddara and I were having a small argument."

"Oh." Emi stared at him a moment. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He smiled at her, and she reluctantly nodded. But as she walked back up the stairs, she couldn't help but wonder…

_What are you not telling us, Drevan?_

Drevan waited until she was gone again, before glaring at Kinddara. He walked over and picked up his Death Note. Like Taro's, his had all the rules printed in it in neat handwriting. Ryuk's, if he remembered correctly. He flipped it open, looking over the section on ownership.

"Six, Kinddara?" he asked quietly. The Shinigami nodded, knowing what he was asking, the same as the other fifty times he had asked.

"Only six. The seventh would have no power." She blinked. "You're still obsessing over that last rule."

Drevan smirked. "That's the one that would get me what I want. All I have to do is set up the circumstances for it to take effect."

"They will be upset."

"_They_ can go screw themselves and die for all I care. Although, it wouldn't do to have them die without me around…" Drevan grinned wickedly. "L can't stop me. The reincarnations can't stop me. And as for the Shinigami…" He glanced at Kinddara. "What are they going to do? Kill me? I might just as easily kill them in return. That I would like to see… Possibly like the apocalypse. When the Death Gods die…" Kinddara was glaring at him with murder in her eyes. He raised his hands in surrender, saying, "Kidding. _Obviously_ there's no way to murder a Death _God_, is there? You'd have to fracture every rule in the book, human and Shinigami."

Kinddara frowned. "Watch yourself, Drevan Ricter. Shinigami are not kind to threats. You should know this, Dealer."

"Kinddara, DON'T…"

"I am making a point." she growled. "If ANY of this misfit group should know the consequences of what you are planning, it is you."

Drevan looked at the carpet. "Of course." He looked back up. "But, all the more reason not to fear death, right?"

Kinddara growled, but said nothing, walking through the wall and out, possibly to find Shidoh. Drevan laughed, an honest, ringing laugh. Everything was going how he intended. At this rate, it would be over before they even found where the reincarnations had gone to. Just as well. The less interference, the better.

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Dear, dear Drevan. I do like him. And OH the questions you'll all have now! Joy!

Next chapter is one I promised **artsfan** a long time ago, a 'secret' origin chapter for all of my villains. Don't expect major revelations, but a little bit of backstory never hurt anyone. :) I have to get it done first, though. It's long.

Now you all have a reason to get up Monday mornings. :) Hugs!  
Li


	16. Lifetime

Chapter 16: Lifetime

When Taro Kagami was twelve years old, you could almost say that his life was perfect. He had loving parents, good friends, and almost anything he could ever ask for. He was a good child, always following the rules, getting good grades and being his parents' pride and joy.

His uncle, Teru Mikami, had died four years before he was born. Insatiably curious, Taro pestered his mother for the longest time before she finally told him the story of her brother, Taro's uncle. Teru Mikami had become one of the hands of Kira, carrying out Kira's judgment when he himself could not. He had been caught at the Yellow Box warehouse during the final confrontation between Kira and the SPK leader, and had died there, apparently through suicide. Taro listened to the entire tale, wide-eyed with horror. There was _no way_ he could ever be like that.

Months later, a close friend of his at school lost their parents in a robbery gone wrong. The boy's parents had been unwittingly shot by the robber when he panicked. Police later caught the man, but he was released due to a lack of evidence. It was then that Taro first began to reconsider his views on Kira.

_Maybe Uncle Teru and Kira had the right idea! If you get rid of the bad people, they can't hurt anyone else!_ This was the way his thinking began to turn. And then, just weeks after he turned thirteen, something happened that completely solidified his views.

xxx

_As Taro walked through the gate and up the sidewalk to his house, he noticed a white notebook lying in the middle of the sidewalk. Glancing at the driveway, he knew his mother and father weren't home from work yet. So whose notebook was it? He leaned down and picked it up, carrying it with his school stuff up to his room. As he set down his backpack, he turned around and screamed. There was a six-foot-tall blue thing standing in his room, grinning at him._

_"W-wh-wh-what are you?!" he stammered, clutching the notebook without realizing it. The thing laughed, a 'hyuk' sound that almost freaked Taro out more than he already was._

_"I'm a Shinigami." it said. "Name's Ryuk."_

_"Sh-sh-shinigami?!" Taro's eyes were wide and terrified. He backed up until he sat down hard on his bed. "What do you want with me?"_

_"Nothing." Ryuk said. "But that notebook you have there, the white one… It's called a Death Note. You can kill anyone you like by writing down their name and picturing their face in your mind. Once you do that, they'll die of a heart attack in forty seconds. There's rules, of course, but those are all written down inside."_

_"Murder notebook…?" Taro asked. "And you gave this to me?"_

_"Well… You seemed a likely candidate, considering your uncle and all." Ryuk laughed. "A Death Note was Light Yagami's weapon, a long time ago."_

_"Light Yagami?"_

_"Kira." Ryuk said. Taro's eyes widened ever farther. Kira's weapon, in his hands!_

_"But why? Why would you give this to me?"_

_Ryuk rolled his eyes, pulling out an apple and beginning to munch on it. "We were bored. The Shinigami realm is bleak and dull. So some friends of mine and I decided to see what would happen if we brought the maximum amount of Death Notes to the human world at once. There are five others besides yours. I'll bet if you all teamed up…"_

_Taro frowned. "And there's no cost? You won't eat my soul or something if I use this notebook?"_

_"No. It's yours now. Do with it what you like."_

_Taro sat down on his bed, flipping the book open to the first page and pulling out a pen. He hastily scribbled down a name: Reiji Ishimura. Glancing at his watch, he watched forty seconds tick by, and smiled._

_"Who was that?" Ryuk asked._

_"He killed my friend's parents, and got away with it." Taro said bitterly. "He deserved it."_

xXx

Himeko Inoue and Mizuki Kobayashi had been friends since about middle school. Himeko and her group of friends had met one of Mizuki's friends, and Mizu had kind of unofficially been welcomed to the group. They had had a fight sometime during high school, and hadn't seen each other in over three years, when they met again after both moved from Hiroshima to Tokyo.

Coming to the conclusion that it would be beneficial to both of them to share an apartment and split the rent, they worked out an arrangement that way. With Mizu as a graphics designer with a moderate paycheck, and Meko as an up-and-coming entrepreneur, they needed every bit of money they could save. Though they had their fights, for the most part they got along well.

Death Notes really hadn't changed them as much as one might think. They followed Kira's philosophy, not as an idealistic goal, but with common sense. Meko's reasoning stood that, logically, if people who commit crimes are killed, then eventually people will see the pattern and stop becoming criminals altogether. Mizu never really shared her reasons, but Meko long thought that something in her past had influenced her decision, same as Taro.

xxx

_They had been watching TV when the notebooks appeared, blatantly falling out of thin air onto their coffee table. Mizuki sat up looking at them curiously._

_"Did those notebooks just appear from nowhere?"_

_Himeko looked as well. "I think so." She paused. "Touch one."_

_"You touch one!" Mizuki retorted. "I don't know what they are."_

_"Together then. You take left, I'll take right. One, two, three…" Both reached out, each seizing a black notebook, and letting out identical screams when they saw the Shinigami attached to each._

_After much screaming, panicking, explaining, and questioning, both finally began to understand the power they had come into the possession of. They stared at each other, uncertain, unable to begin to consider what to use such a notebook for. They were startled out of their individual thoughts when the phone rang. Himeko answered it, saying politely, "Konnichiwa. Himeko speaking."_

_"I was curious…" said the voice on the phone. "Did you receive a black notebook called a Death Note recently?"_

_Himeko's eyes widened, and she glanced at Mizuki worriedly. "Who is this?!"_

_"My name is…"_

xXx

Teil Miura was one of those people who hated the world.

Not even for a good reason. He just did. He was one of those who preferred to put on some music and block out the world. Or dive into a book or video game and not come out for hours at a time, liking the worlds they presented him with better than reality.

He went through school as a loner, getting decent grades and existing on as little interaction with others as possible. He had no faith, no religion or beliefs. Other than his games and his books and his make-believe worlds, he didn't have anything else. And in his opinion, he didn't need anyone else. People could turn around and stab you in the back. He watched the dramas carried out throughout middle and high school, and simply found it better not to be involved. Let other kids worry about their trivial little problems. They had their worlds, and he had his.

By the time he was seventeen, Teil had become known for his anti-social behavior. It gave others an excuse to poke fun at him, and just solidified his dislike for them even more. But then, one day something happened that gave him some kind of faith. For once, he had something he could believe in unconditionally, concrete proof real in his hands.

xxx

_The notebook was lying harmlessly on his desk when he walked into his room. He didn't recognize it. It wasn't one of his. Assuming that it was his mother once again attempting to influence his tastes, he simply shrugged. Although, she could have bought a color other than black! He disliked the world! That didn't mean he was emo! He would have preferred a nice royal blue. Oh well. Walking over to the desk, he picked up the notebook, flipping it open to see what it looked like on the inside._

_"Teil Miura."_

_He turned around, suppressing a gasp of surprise at the tall, skeleton-like figure standing in his room. It looked kind of like an Indian, one of the American kind, but more sinister in appearance. Setting the black notebook down on his desk, he asked warily, "What are you?"_

_"My name is Zellogi. I am a Shinigami." the thing said. Teil stared first at it, then at the notebook._

_"What are you doing here?" He could only wonder. Maybe it was here to eat his soul. If it actually was a Shinigami. But if it wasn't, how had it just appeared out of nowhere?_

_"That notebook allows you to write down the name of a person while imagining their face in your mind, and they will die." Zellogi explained. "Six Shinigami have come to the human world, and given Death Notes to six humans. We wanted to see what would happen. What you do with the notebook is up to you."_

_"A murder notebook…" Teil murmured. "Starts to make you think of who the world would be better off without… If you could get rid of the bad people…"_

xXx

Emi Tachikawa had seen a lot of tragedy in her life. Her uncle was killed in an accident when she was eight years old. He had been working as a construction worker on a project for a large corporation. They cut corners and neglected safety measures, and finally an accident occurred that got her uncle killed. At the time she wasn't old enough to understand why her parents and other family members were so angry about an accident, but as she grew older she came to understand what had happened. She knew then that there was corruption and bad people in the world, but was powerless to do anything about it.

Then, when she turned eighteen, a friend died in a car accident, and that was the final straw that it took to crush her. The Shinigami, looking for the six people to play their game with, saw her as someone who would take her grief and channel it through the notebook, and chose her as one of the six.

xxx

_Emi curled up in bed, sobbing, unable to stop. Her best friend had been killed in a car accident, and the funeral had been that morning. Why Yumi? Yumi had been one of the nicest people in their school, one of those people who could be friends with everyone. She had never done anything wrong, and certainly nothing that deserved to be struck on the driver's side by someone running a red light._

_People were the worst! The guy__ that had hit her hadn't even felt bad about it! His excuse was that he was late for an important meeting at his work. Emi had seen him the day he went to court. She had told him to his face that Yumi was her best friend, and he had looked at her and said, "I'm sorry."_

_He didn't look sorry at all. He said it like it was just another trivial thing he had to do. He had gotten ten years in jail, and treated it as just another inconvenience to himself. Emi was disgusted with him._

_She picked up the pillow that had been covering her head, looking around the room blearily. Her parents had left for the evening to go out to dinner with Yumi's parents. She had been asked to go, but couldn't face it. So they had let her stay home. __Her boyfriend, Drevan, had called as well, but she hadn't answered the phone. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now. _

_She moved over to her desk, beginning to straighten the papers and notebooks that rested on top of it. She paused as she saw a black notebook that she didn't recognize.__ Picking it up, she began flipping through it, seeing that every page was blank. She sighed, adding it to the top of her stack._

_She turned around, intending to go fix herself a bowl of ramen or something for dinner, and shrieked. A huge bug-looking thing was standing in her room, staring at her._

_"W-w-what are you!?" she gasped, backing into the desk._

_It blinked. "I'm a Shinigami." it said in an almost whiny voice. "My name is Shidoh. You touched my Death Note, and now you're the owner."_

_"Death Note?" Emi asked, still completely freaked out that there was a God of Death standing in her bedroom._

_"That black notebook. You can use it to kill people, within the rules." Shidoh explained. Then he muttered almost inaudibly, "I shouldn't have let Ryuk talk me into this…"_

_"Kill… people? Anyone?" Emi asked._

_"As long as you know what they look like." Shidoh said._

_Emi stared at it a long moment, then went over and opened it up. Before she could change her mind, she scribbled down the name of the man who had killed Yumi. Looking back at Shidoh, she asked, "What happens now?"_

_"He dies of a heart attack in forty seconds." Shidoh said. He drifted over, looking over her shoulder. "Do you have any chocolate?"_

_Emi glanced at him. Murder notebooks and Gods of Death who like chocolate. Maybe she was crazy. But it certainly didn't feel like it. She wasn't sure what she could do with a notebook that killed people. Maybe… she could get rid of other people like that guy. Criminals who didn't feel a shred of remorse for their crimes. That might make the world a better place._

xXx

Drevan Ricter was born, not in Japan, but in New York City in America. He had been born near the height of the Kira crisis, and was only three when it ended. He wasn't old enough to remember anything, but like every other terrible thing, it was taught as part of history in school. Drevan didn't particularly care that much about it. Supernatural murderers and shadowy organizations weren't his forte. He preferred math, over all subjects except gym.

As he got older, he started to notice more and more the corruption in his country. The government was full of liars, corporations treated their workers unfairly, and America itself was just falling to pieces in general. Drevan was disgusted by it. To his family's great displeasure, he decided to move to Japan, where he wanted to be a programmer. Hopefully he could secure a job at Nintendo, or one of the other video game or software companies there. He found a modest house just outside of Tokyo, got a good job, even found a wonderful girlfriend named Emi. But a few months after he got to Japan, something happened that changed his entire future, forever.

xxx

_Drevan was curled on the couch, a game controller resting comfortably in his hands. He was playing the newest Mario game on his Gametriangularprism. He had tried calling his girlfriend Emi earlier, but she hadn't answered the phone. So he was stuck at home playing Mario, trying to smash the gigantic Petey Piranha that had eaten Toad. He hammered away at the buttons, finally scoring the last hit._

_"Yeah!!"_

_He saved the game when prompted, and got up to turn it off. When he turned back around, there was a blood-red notebook in the spot where he'd been sitting on the couch._

_"What the heck?" He walked over and picked it up, flipping through it absently. It was called a Death Note, and there were rules written in it. He read a few, raising an eyebrow. "The human whose name is written in this note shall die. Oh, funny. But where did this come from?"_

_"Drevan Ricter." Drevan turned around, startled. There was some kind of __**thing**__ standing in his living room. The thing, a female by its voice, said, "You are now the owner of that Death Note, until you choose to give it up."_

_Drevan stared. "What __**are**__ you?"_

_"My name is Kinddara. I am a Shinigami." Kinddara drifted over, putting her hand on top of Drevan's head. He winced, then blinked in confusion._

_"What the…?" he murmured. "Wait… I understand now." He looked up at Kinddara. "Am I the only one with a notebook?"_

_"No." Kinddara replied. "There are five others. Taro Kagami, Himeko Inoue, Mizuki Kobayashi, Teil Miura, and Emi Tachikawa."_

_"Emi has one…?" Drevan said slowly. He smiled wickedly. "Kinddara, this looks to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship." He walked over to the phone, grabbing the phone book and beginning to look up names. "This should be great fun."_

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Seventeen years later, gaming was revolutionized by the advent of the Gametriangularprism. :) That's my brother's and my stupid joke. I couldn't resist.

Anyway, I did my best with this chapter. The most I know about my characters is what they tell me, if that makes sense. I never feel like I'm making stuff up. It's more like someone is telling me what actually happened. ...My brother thinks I'm crazy. :)

Anyway, I'm at the end of the prewritten chapters, so updates now depend on how much time I have to write. But it gets better from here, I promise!

Love and hugs!  
Li


	17. Inevitable Return

Chapter 17: Inevitable Return

Light had insisted that L needed to see some of the sights in Tokyo, so they were on their way to Shibuya, with a good deal of reluctance on L's part.

"Come on, L!" Light insisted. "How long have you lived in Japan?"

L thought for a second. "Three months, two weeks, and five days, Light-kun."

"And have you ever been to Shibuya?"

"No."

"Then you have to come! Shibuya's a lot of fun. And you got to show me your Festival of Lights. It's only fair that I get to take you to Shibuya." Light wasn't going to take no for an answer on this point. L grudgingly got his shoes, following Light to where they could take the subway to Shibuya.

As the train sped along, L watched Light. He seemed happier than usual, maybe because L had actually agreed to go somewhere. Light glanced over at L, saying then, "What? You're staring."

"Merely thinking, Light-kun." L replied.

Light blinked, then smiled. "You know, there's a really great café here, with the best doughnuts ever." He laughed as L's attention was immediately focused on him. Some things never changed, and the former detective's sweet tooth was one of them. L frowned at him, and he smiled. "Don't look at me like that. It's not my fault I know your weakness."

"It's not a weakness." L protested.

Light grinned. "Right, my mistake. It's an addiction."

L frowned again. "Be quiet, Light-kun." But he didn't sound upset, and Light knew that he was just being childish.

When they got off the train and went up the stairs back out into daylight, L's eyes widened. "You didn't tell me there would be this many people!" What seemed like a thousand people were milling around the station. Light laughed.

"You haven't seen anything yet." He led L out of the station, through the bus terminal, and to an open square area full of people. They sat around, laughing and talking. Some leaned on a statue of a giant dog, looking around expectantly like they were waiting for someone. Others were just passing though, on their way to or from the bus terminal.

"That's the statue of Hachiko." Light explained. "It's a popular meeting spot. We'll go past here to the scramble. _Then_ you'll see what a lot of people looks like." They maneuvered through the people standing around, emerging into a wide-open intersection. "Behold the Scramble Crossing."

L stared. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of people, all going their own places, no two alike. L had never seen so many different kinds of people all in one place before. He watched a group of girls heading towards a huge skyscraper, and pointed. "That's 104, right?"

"Yeah. Shopping, shopping, and more shopping." Light said. "We'll go this way, and head towards Towa Records. It's an American music store."

L nodded, following Light through the crush of people. Once they were clear of the scramble, things started to thin out, but only slightly. There were people everywhere in Shibuya.

xXx

Teil yawned, walking out of the Cyco Records store in the Udagawa district. They hadn't had the CD he was looking for, so he decided to check AMX and Towa Records next. He looked around, seeing familiar faces everywhere. One good thing about frequenting Shibuya so often was being able to recognize a lot of the people who were there on a regular basis, like the ones who owned businesses or worked in shops. He was great friends with most of the music store clerks, as well as the people who worked in A-East's concert halls. And even if he wasn't personally friends with a store's clerk, he usually knew their name, unless they were new.

Shibuya had so many people that no one could possibly keep track of them all. It lent a certain anonymity to walking around. No one cared who you were or where you were going. Unless, of course, you happened to be some kind of idol or celebrity. But Teil was neither, and drifted aimlessly through the crowd in the direction of AMX.

xXx

Light and L had stopped briefly in Towa Records, but there was nothing new on the shelves. So they went on past the store, through Miyashita Park to Cat Street. The café that Light had mentioned was called the Wildkat, about three quarters of the way down the street.

"It has a really weird schedule." Light said. "It may not be open. If we're lucky, it will be." As they approached the door, he glanced at the sign in the window. "Oh, good, it is open."

The café was deserted, except for them. The man at the counter brightened when he saw them. "Oh, hey! Customers! What'll it be?"

Light grinned. "Normal coffee for me, thanks. L?"

"Normal coffee." L said, noting the box of sugar packets on each table. "And some doughnuts."

When they had their drinks, and in L's case doughnuts, they went to sit at one of the tables. L bit into a doughnut, commenting, "These are really good! I don't see why there aren't more people in here." Light had picked a good café. L considered for a moment. Obviously Light cared about him, that much was clear. So…

"I don't know." Light said. "Maybe it's the schedule."

"Maybe." L said. Stirring seven packets of sugar into his coffee, he asked, "So, what are we going to do about Kira?"

Light reached over and snatched a doughnut, looking thoughtful. "If we could find a way to spy on Taro, if we could find him, we might be able to learn something about who he's working with. Or, we could even try talking to him in person, see if we could trick him into telling us something."

"That's a possibility, but you have to remember, Light-kun, that we no longer have access to a lot of the resources we had last time we were hunting Kira." L reminded him. "I no longer have the ability to bug people's houses or have them followed."

"We could follow him ourselves, if we could find him." Light said. "But finding one kid in a city of hundreds of thousands of people would be nearly impossible. We can't find him through the phone book, because it wouldn't list him specifically."

"At this point, the most we can hope is that we run into him by accident." L said. Both of them looked around as the door to the café opened, and a boy with light-colored hair hurried in, up to the counter.

"Heeey, Josh!" the guy at the counter drawled. "What can I do for you?"

"Mr. H, don't joke around. …You have customers?" the boy asked.

"Of course! You didn't think my café was empty all the time?"

L and Light went up to the register, paying for their coffee quickly and getting a box for their remaining doughnuts. Mr. H waved at them, then went to the back to talk to Josh. L and Light left the shop, feeling much better.

"Well, seeing Taro in Shibuya is something that would never happen." Light said, shaking the doughnut box. "Even if he was here, we could walk right by him and not realize it." As they walked back towards Miyashita Park, he said, "We should go by Spain Hill. It's a really cool street."

"Sure…" L muttered, distracted. He had the really weird feeling something was about to happen, and not something good. He glanced around, but they were the only people in the underpass. The road ran from Cat Street, through Miyashita Park and back to Towa Records, and this underpass was like a tunnel separating the different areas. The occasional car whizzed by, but other than that, the two were alone.

xXx

Teil came out of Towa Records vaguely disappointed. Apparently none of the music stores in Shibuya carried the CD he was looking for. Sighing, he turned onto the road leading to Miyashita Park, and paused.

That was them, wasn't it? The two people walking his direction, they were the ones Taro had described. The First Kira and the original L. He looked around hurriedly, wondering what to do. He didn't know their full names, but there might be a way around that…

"What are you going to do, Teil?" Zellogi asked. Teil frowned, still scanning the surrounding area.

"I don't know. Give me a second." He finally spotted someone he recognized, the man who worked at the clothing store up on Cat Street. He was obviously driving to work. Teil considered the rules. You weren't allowed to control someone to cause the death of someone else. If you tried, the person would only die of a heart attack. But what if that was all he needed…?

Teil praised whatever higher power had granted him the memory to remember so many of the store clerks' names, and opened up the Death Note. "Zellogi, if he has a heart attack, what are the chances that he'll hit those two up there?"

Zellogi's expression roughly amounted to a frown. "You'd be relying on luck."

"Well," Teil said brightly, "I'm good at that." He scribbled down the man's name quickly, wrote down a time, and hoped that the other gods were on his side.

xXx

L and Light had continued walking, oblivious to Teil plotting their deaths about thirty feet away. Light was tossing the doughnut box up and down, catching it as they walked.

"Light-kun, stop it." L said. "You're either going to smash the doughnuts, or drop the box."

"It's fine." Light said. He tossed it again, and this time, it bounced off the tips of his fingers, tumbling out into the road. L rolled his eyes, sighing. Light looked over at him. "Don't even say anything."

"I wasn't…" L muttered, biting his lip to keep from laughing. He raised his thumb to his mouth, peering down at the end of the underpass as Light went to retrieve the slightly dented doughnut box. His eyes widened as he saw the car speeding up the road, high above the speed limit with no intention of stopping, right at Light. He froze for a split second, his mind completely blank for once in his life, and then did the only thing that seemed appropriate at the time. He dove at Light, tackling him out of the way. Both watched as the car careened into the underpass wall about ten feet away and crashed.

xXx

Teil cursed under his breath. Almost… It had gone how he thought. When the guy had a heart attack, he inadvertently stomped the accelerator. It had been so close…

xXx

Light got up, pulling L to his feet next to him.

"You…" he said. "You saved my life."

L blinked. "Yeah." He didn't know what had possessed him to dive out in front of traffic like that. He wasn't the type of person to go around throwing himself in harm's way for other people. But this time… he had acted without thinking.

Light glanced at the doughnut box, which had been the only victim of the wreck. It lay in a flattened splotch in the street. "Sorry, L. I got your doughnuts smashed."

L stared at him incredulously. Light didn't actually think…!

"You think I'm worried about the doughnuts?" he asked, amazed. Light stared at him, confused, and L yelled, "You almost got hit by a car! The doughnuts are the least of my worries! I didn't save that box; I saved you!"

Light smiled. "Yeah, you did. And you know why, too, don't you?"

L stared at him a moment. It was like Light could read his mind. "Yeah. I finally came to the conclusion that I don't think I could function without you either."

Light hugged him, grinning. "Yep, that's what I thought." L hugged him back, realizing that he had never really had to come to that conclusion. It had been there all along, he just hadn't recognized it for what it was. He smiled at Light, pulling away from the hug to say cheerfully, "But you owe me doughnuts."

Light started laughing, and as L smiled, he noticed something strange over Light's shoulder. A boy about their age, with black hair, pushing a black notebook back into his bag. L stared at him for a moment, saying quietly, "Light?"

"Hmm?"

"That wasn't a car wreck. It was an attempted murder." He pointed at the boy, and Light turned to look. Notebook safely away, the boy looked up, meeting their eyes before taking off in the other direction.

"After him!" Light yelled, and both hurried to chase him. If this was another one of the multiple Kiras, catching him would be very important.

xXx

There was only one thought in Teil's mind. _Run like hell._

xXx

They chased him through the crowded streets, keeping their eyes on the mop of black hair ahead of them. He was shorter than they were, and despite his head start, they were gaining ground quickly. Light managed to snag the back of his shirt just outside the entrance to Towa Records, bringing him to a complete halt. They dragged him off to the side, out of the middle of the street, and Light demanded, "Who are you, and why do you have a Death Note?"

"My name's Teil…" he panted. "And I don't know what you're talking about! Do you always go dragging innocent people around?"

"Then why did you run from us?" L asked. "What do you have to be afraid of?"

"Crazy people chasing me!" Teil exclaimed. L frowned, going into his bag and pulling out the notebook.

"What's this, then?"

xXx

Taro Kagami, inside Towa Records with his mother, watched what was happening with wide eyes. He looked up at his Shinigami, saying in a low voice, "Ryuk, what do I do?"

Ryuk laughed manically. "Ask Drevan. He's your 'leader', isn't he?"

Taro frowned, but pulled out his phone. His mother was on the other side of the store, in the easy listening section. He dialed Drevan's number, quickly explaining the situation.

_"__**What!**__"_

Taro glanced around nervously. "What should I do? We're in trouble if they find out, right?"

Drevan's voice was serious, but there was the tiniest measure of glee to it that Taro didn't understand. _"You'll have to kill him. We're seriously screwed if they can get any information out of him. And if they take him to the police, the real L will find out, and everything will be over."_

"Kill him?"

_"Teil Miura. You can do it, Taro. We're all counting on you."_ It was impossible to tell from Drevan's voice what he was thinking.

"O-okay…" Taro said nervously. He hung up the phone, taking one last glance around the store and out the window before pulling out his notebook and opening it up.

xXx

L waved the notebook at Teil. "That," he said, pointing at Zellogi, "is a Shinigami. As if we need any other proof." He passed the notebook to Light to touch, and then asked, "Who are you working with? Taro? Emi? Give us names."

"I work alone." Teil said bitterly. Light scowled.

"You're lying. You're lying to protect whoever you're working with."

Teil narrowed his eyes. "They don't need protection from me! High and mighty as they think they are! You want to know? I'll tell you-" His words cut off in a strangled sound, and he reached up to grab at the fabric of his shirt, over his heart.

"Damn it!" Light cried.

"Higuchi…" L whispered, another fragment of memory surfacing. "Someone doesn't want him to talk." Teil collapsed to the sidewalk, and L sighed. "He's dead. We need to call the police."

Light had set the notebook to the side, out of the way, and now reached for it again. "This can't be around when they show up, though. We should take it with us." As he spoke, he picked up the notebook, and L saw the smallest flinch. He froze where he was, staring into Light's eyes. Picking up the notebook passed ownership to him, and now… There was a gleam in Light's eyes that hadn't been there before. L didn't want to believe it, but he remembered that look.

Kira.

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And now, the moment you've all been waiting for... (drumroll) KIRA! Actually, I'm rather sad. Considering that L _finally_ figured out that he liked him. :(

More indulgence on my part, because I wanted to write about Shibuya. Ignore Mr. H and Joshua. They're there for my own personal amusement.

So I'm leaving for the beach literally this afternoon, so it will probably be awhile before the next chapter. So enjoy this, and I'll continue as soon as I can. Love and hugs to all of you!

Li


	18. Enemies Ever After

Chapter 18: Enemies Ever After

Emi watched her boyfriend, who was sitting on the couch staring back at her with that pathetically fake-innocent look on his face. She frowned, her gaze full of accusation, and finally asked sharply, "Drevan, how could you ask him to do that? He's just a child, and you asked him to kill a friend! It's different, killing criminals, from killing someone you know!"

Drevan gave up on the innocent look, instead saying patiently, "We were in danger. Your notebook and mine were both upstairs, and in the time it would take to have gone and gotten them out of hiding, Teil could have given away something vital!"

"I know he's a bit antisocial, but…" Emi said, "He wouldn't have really given us all away. Think about what this could do to Taro!"

Drevan stood up. "If Taro's going to be part of this, he needs to learn to be stronger than that." He walked out of the room, and Emi glanced worriedly at Shidoh. Something was up with Drevan, but she couldn't figure out what.

"Shidoh, have you noticed anything weird with Drevan lately?" she asked. Criminals were still dying, and crime rates had gone down again, just like they had seventeen years ago. But Drevan seemed to be drifting away from that purpose, as if he had something else to plan out.

Shidoh munched a bag of M&M's, looking thoughtful. "He's almost scarier than Mello, but in a different way. Mello couldn't have done anything to us, but Drevan feels like he can. Anyway," he continued, eating another handful of M&M's, "I would be more concerned about what happened to Teil's notebook, if I were you. Zellogi should have picked it up by now, and he would have told us if he was going back to the Shinigami world."

Emi blinked. Shidoh was right. What had happened to Teil's notebook?

xXx

L watched Light warily the entire way home. Something was wrong. He certainly hadn't imagined the crimson glint in Light's eyes, the all-too familiar look from a life already lived. Somehow, his personality as Kira had resurfaced now that he owned the notebook, and L was terrified that things would go as they had seventeen years ago.

He thought he understood why. Light had died as Kira, believing in his own ideal. If he had died without memory of the notebook, it would not have affected him in this way. But Kira had died, and had now been truly revived. The only question left was what L could do about it.

When they got home, Light set the notebook on the coffee table, going into the kitchen to turn on the coffee maker. L glanced at the Shinigami, which hadn't said anything since Teil's death, and asked quietly, "What's your name?"

"Zellogi." the Shinigami said shortly. L looked back at the notebook as Light returned, and said quietly, "We should burn this notebook."

"Why?" Light asked. "It could be helpful to have it around."

"It's a murder notebook, Light-kun. It's better off as ashes. What could it possibly be helpful for?"

Light frowned. "The Shinigami might know something about the people in this group. How can we ask it if we can't see it? And they might come looking for it. In that case, we can catch them that way."

"I doubt the Shinigami will tell us anything. And if they were to come looking for us, how would they know whether we had burned it or not?" L said. He glanced up at Light, looking sad. "You're just trying to think of excuses not to burn it. You want it for yourself."

Light looked startled. "How could you say something like that?"

L sat down on the sofa, staring at the carpet. "Because it is the truth, Light-kun."

Seemingly confused, Light walked over and sat down next to him, reaching up to lay a hand on his shoulder. "L, I don't know why you would think that…"

"Don't touch me, Light-kun." L said softly. "I know the look in your eyes, and I know what it means."

Light withdrew his hand. "I don't understand. What do you think I am?"

L flinched. It hurt, more than Light would ever understand, to speak the name. "Kira." He watched as a betrayed look settled on Light's face, but his eyes reflected the carefully hidden anger. Such a good liar, Light was. Kira only served to enhance it.

"You think I'm Kira?" Light asked, standing back up. L nodded, and Light cried, "Just because I picked up the notebook and I think it would be useful to have a Shinigami around? The task force didn't burn it either, as far as I remember. They kept it locked in a safe, until the day I died!"

L blinked. "They also were under your direction, and Kira couldn't have them burning his notebook, could he?" he countered sadly.

"_You_ didn't burn the notebook either! You wanted to test it to see if it worked!"

"In the name of proving the thirteen-day rule a fake. Which it was."

Light gaped at him. "Why won't you believe me? I'm not Kira, L!"

L looked up sharply, meeting Light's eyes. "The Light I know wouldn't keep piling up lies, not to me! The Light that I know wouldn't keep trying to prove his innocence with hollow arguments! And the Light that I cared about, the Light that I saved from being hit by a car because I couldn't live without him… That Light would burn the notebook, because he believed that Kira was evil, and he was ashamed of what he used to be!"

Light stared at him for a moment, then his expression shifted to a vicious glare. He grabbed the notebook off the table, storming for the door.

"Where are you going?!" L yelled, suddenly worried.

"I'm leaving!" Light shouted back, anger plainly evident. L watched with wide eyes, as the door slammed closed behind him, before sinking back against the couch with his arms wrapped tightly around his knees. He hid his face in his arms, whispering to himself, "Damn you, Kira…"

xXx

Taro Kagami walked slowly up the sidewalk, scanning buildings as he went.

"They went this way, didn't they, Ryuk?" he murmured quietly to the Shinigami.

"Yeah. But we couldn't see what building they went in." Ryuk said, laughing. He had thought it was hilarious when Taro decided to tail the two. This kid was so funny to be around. It was cool to have a kid for once. Light had been way too serious about everything, even if it was entertaining to watch him get himself out of trouble.

Taro sighed. "That doesn't help, Ryuk!" he hissed, not wanting anyone else to think he was talking to himself. He glanced around one last time, resigning himself to going home, when he spotted Light, the original Kira, coming out of a building. "Ryuk, look!" He started to hurry forward, then stopped, frowning. Changing his mind, he hurried into the building, asking a nearby person, "Do you know which apartment Light and L live in?"

"Oh." the man said. "They live down the hall from me. Seventeenth floor, room 1705."

Taro managed a hurried thank-you, racing to the elevator and punching the button for the seventeenth floor. When the elevator opened, he scanned the doors until he found the one he was looking for.

xXx

L was still curled up on the couch, the only change being a cup of coffee clutched in both hands. He had sunk into his own thoughts, trying to wrap his mind around the idea that the real Kira was loose on the world again. A knock sounded through the room, but L ignored it. Someone was at the door. If it was Light, he had a key, and L didn't want to talk to anyone else at the moment. He had to figure out what to do from here.

"Heh… You might want to answer the door, you know."

L dropped the coffee mug, which was thankfully empty. It thudded to the carpet as he whirled to see Ryuk hovering in the air near the door. He frowned, growling, "Shinigami… What do you want?"

Ryuk laughed. "It's not what I want. I'm just following my notebook, after all."

L's eyes widened in realization, and he practically leaped over the back of the couch to run to the door. Taking a deep breath, he undid the lock and pulled the door open. Taro Kagami stared back at him with scared eyes, and L blinked, confused.

"I have to talk to you!" Taro said. "Please!" The white notebook was clutched in his arms. L hesitantly stepped aside, allowing the child into the apartment.

When both were seated, L said slowly, "Why did you come here?" He wasn't sure what to expect from Taro's answer, but when the boy did speak, it was a shock.

"I want to give this to you." Taro said, holding out the white notebook. L stared at him, unable to say anything. Taro glanced around nervously, adding in a rush, "I can't do this anymore! I don't want it! I figured out where you lived because I saw Light leaving…"

"Why didn't you give it to him, then?" L asked bitterly.

Taro frowned, looking down at the notebook. "I don't know. I got the same feeling from him I do from Drevan. A bad feeling. I would rather you had it."

L took the notebook, looking at it for a second before setting it on the table. "Drevan? Who is Drevan?"

"There were six of us." Taro said. "Me, Teil, two girls named Mizuki and Himeko, Emi, and Emi's boyfriend, Drevan. Drevan's kinda like… our leader, I guess you could say." At this Ryuk laughed, but both ignored him. "I was there in Towa Records this morning. I saw you catch Teil, and I called Drevan to ask him what to do… He told me to kill Teil, to protect us… and I did." His expression seemed to crumple, and he continued, "I can't do this anymore. No more killing. I would rather you keep it. It has all the rules in it and everything…"

L felt bad for him. He was only a kid, probably motivated in the beginning by revenge and manipulated by this Drevan person later. And if it meant the number of notebooks that he faced was down to only five…

"It's okay, Taro." he said. "I'll take the notebook, if you want to forget."

"I don't really want to forget, but if it's the only way to stop this, I will." Taro said. Ryuk laughed again, louder, and both L and Taro finally looked at him. "What?"

"You forget, I'm a Shinigami." Ryuk chuckled. "I can let him keep his memory, no problem. This kid's more sensitive to Shinigami and Death Notes than most. He knew the others without being told. With his memories, he'll keep his Sight, too; the ability to see the Shinigami whose notebooks he's touched."

"You can do that?" Taro asked.

"Sure, kid. It'll be entertaining, certainly."

Taro looked over at L, who picked up the notebook. He grinned, saying, "Then I give up ownership of this notebook, Ryuk."

Ryuk laughed, and L stared at the white notebook. It was his, now. He had never actually had ownership of a notebook before. It didn't feel like much, but that was how it started, wasn't it? The Death Note in human hands was a weapon, plain and simple.

"Thank you, Taro." he said quietly. He set the notebook back on the table, and stood up. Taro stood as well, heading for the door.

"Thanks for taking it from me. Drevan will leave me alone, because he thinks I don't remember." Taro said. "You can stop him. I know you can." He left, saying a quick goodbye to Ryuk. L watched him until he got in the elevator at the end of the hall. He was glad Taro had so much faith in him, but he hoped it wasn't misplaced. Even with a notebook on his side now, things had just gotten a lot more difficult.

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Okay, so I have had NO time for the past three weeks. It was my brother's b-day, then I went back to the beach, and this past week has been HELL. No one had any time to drive me to the library at all! You guys think you get frustrated waiting for the next chapter... I get frustrated waiting to WRITE the next chapter!

Anyway, ranting aside... All-day band camp starts next week, so all of my writing time dies. I'll do my best to get another chapter up as soon as possible. Getting my laptop back is the only good thing about school starting...

Love and hugs!  
Li


	19. Electric Storm

_Fighting for no reward… Cold in the rain, I'm tossing and turning, your words ever burning my heart… Love's an electric storm, of pleasure and pain, where thunder and lightning are crashing and striking…_

Chapter 19: Electric Storm

The following afternoon in the apartment, hope still existed in some form or another. L knew that the very fact that he was still alive was a testament to the fact that this Light was stronger than Light Yagami ever was. If he was strong enough to keep Kira at bay, perhaps he was strong enough to fight him off altogether.

That was what L wished for, but he knew it wasn't something he could count on. Kira's influence was incredibly strong.

He had read all the rules listed in the white notebook, and while some of them had seemed silly and over-specific, a few had stood out. One in particular stated that there were only allowed to be six active Death Notes in the human world at one time. A seventh would have no power. But at the bottom of that page, there had been an unfinished rule, one that read, "If one human is the owner of all six Death Notes…" This one interested L greatly, and he had questioned Ryuk as to why it was unfinished.

"It never actually applies." Ryuk had said, munching on an apple. "And I was getting bored writing all those rules. I wanted to finish as quickly as possible."

"And you wouldn't mind telling me what the end of that rule actually is?" L asked.

"You don't really need to know, do you?" And that was all Ryuk would say on the matter. L had complained, and even tried to bribe him with apples, but Ryuk wouldn't talk. So L had continued to look over the remainder of the rules, even though he had a hunch that that particular one was somehow important.

Now, it was late afternoon, and a minor thunderstorm rumbled away outside the windows. L was watching it from the couch. He had asked Ryuk to leave him alone for a while, and the Shinigami had flown off somewhere.

"Strange…" he mused to himself, watching lightning flicker in the distance. "It really doesn't bother me anymore…" He hadn't been scared of thunderstorms since that night Light had come in. Possibly it was because Light had always been there whenever it seemed bad.

L wished he could take it all back. This was why, as a detective, he had never allowed himself to get close to anyone. Watari and the children had been the exception. But anyone else… Attachments just served as a distraction, and emotion clouded judgment. But he had let himself get attached to Light, and now that he was gone, it hurt. It hurt a lot. Even more so knowing that it was Kira, yet again, who had taken Light away from him.

L forced himself to push away all thoughts of Light. He had to try to figure out what the group with the remaining Death Notes was planning. Other than another Kira and another reign of terror, he couldn't see what greater goal they might have in mind. Drevan, the one Taro had identified as the leader, seemed to be similar to how Light had been in many ways. But he was obviously much more careful, possibly using the remainder of the group as pawns to cover for him. Emi, from what Taro had said, seemed loyal to him, but he couldn't say the same for Himeko and Mizuki. He didn't know enough about them to determine that. Taro had quit out of guilt and fear, and Teil had apparently hated all of them enough to try to betray them. It was a shame that he had died before being able to tell them anything. And, of course, he had no way of knowing what Light would do…

L grumbled to himself, frustrated. He was thinking in circles, and everything seemed to keep coming back around to Light. Glancing at the refrigerator, he wondered if it might be best to call Near, because if the white notebook had the answers, it wasn't giving them up anytime soon. He wished that it were a simpler matter to get information out of the Shinigami.

Speak of the devil, Ryuk chose that moment to drift through the wall. He snickered, then said, "You're about to have a visitor."

L turned as someone knocked on the door. He heard the sound of a key in the lock, and hissed, "It's Light! Go away, Ryuk, I don't want him to see you yet! Go see Taro or something."

Ryuk laughed, but floated up through the ceiling and disappeared. L slipped the white notebook into the front waistband of his jeans, pulling his shirt down over it to hide it. He didn't want Light to see that he had one just yet, and there was really no better place to hide it at that point.

The front door opened, and Light walked in, immediately looking towards L. L scanned the space around him, looking for Zellogi, but didn't see him. Maybe…

"L?" Light said quietly. He took a few steps forward, then stopped again. "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. You were right."

L watched him warily, but it didn't seem to be a lie. "So then…?"

"I burned the notebook." Light said quickly. "I'm so sorry."

L looked down at the carpet. He wanted to consider the option that it might be a trick, but… "Light… I… I forgive you." He walked over and gave the other a hug, silently thanking whatever gods might exist. Light smiled, releasing him and heading for the kitchen.

"How about I make some coffee and we can talk?" he said. L nodded, going over to sit on the couch. The white notebook pressed against his stomach, but he didn't pull it out yet. For the moment, he wanted to enjoy the fact that Light was no longer Kira. He'd tell him about Taro and the notebook later.

Light returned with two cups of coffee and sat down. He handed one to L, who took a long drink before asking, "Where did you stay last night?"

"College dorm. I have a friend who stays there." Light said. "I just told him I had a fight with my roommate and needed somewhere to crash for the night. He was fine with it."

L nodded, taking another drink of coffee. Light watched him for a second, then asked wryly, "So, anything interesting happen while I was off being insane?"

L considered telling him then, but shook his head. He stifled a yawn, muttering, "I'm tired… I don't know why…"

"You probably didn't sleep well. If you slept at all, that is." Light said. "Just take a nap. I'm not going anywhere."

L nodded, curling up against the side of the couch. Light watched him fall asleep, and smiled to himself. He got up, walking over to look down at L as Zellogi walked through the door into the room.

"I don't believe that actually worked." the Shinigami said disbelievingly. "This is the world's greatest detective?"

"He saw what he wanted to." Light said softly. Almost a mirror of L, he murmured, "Emotion clouds judgment."

"So now what?" Zellogi asked.

"I do as I said I would." Light replied. He leaned over, gathering the sleeping detective into his arms. "I'm sorry, L." He left the apartment, kicking the door closed behind him and going to get in the car that had brought him here. With L securely in the passenger seat, he drove away. The drug that he had used in L's coffee would wear off in a few hours, but until then he would be safely unconscious.

xXx

They drove for a long while, eventually reaching a house just outside of the city. Light picked up L and carried him inside, stopping in the front hall as he saw who stood there.

"Excellent. He believed you, then?" Drevan asked, his eyes on the floor.

"Yes." Light replied. He half-turned so that L's face was out of view. "Remember your promise."

"Certainly. I will not see his name." Drevan turned away, looking back towards a different room. "He won't be killed, simply held here where he cannot interfere. After all, he has managed to spoil a perfect world once."

"Yeah." Light moved towards the stairs, saying, "I'll go put him in his room. He'll sleep for at least a few more hours."

Drevan waited until he was gone to turn around, frowning. This was an unexpected complication, Light's reluctance to kill this L. As if worrying about the current L wasn't enough. He had thought that the First Kira would be all too happy to get rid of the eternal thorn in his side, but apparently that wasn't the case. Contingency plans would have to be made, but until then, at least L was locked away where he couldn't do any harm to Drevan's goal. Drevan's frown became a smirk as he considered how close he was to his objective. The only kink in his plan, besides L, was fairly minor in comparison.

Where had Taro, and more importantly, Taro's notebook, gotten to?

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Shorter chapter this time. Sorry. The next few are kind of like that.

The chapter title, and lyrics, come from the song "Electric Storm" by Delta Goodrem. It was almost "Snow" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but Electric Storm won because it had thunderstorms in it. :)

I survived band camp! School starts next week, which means it's just a few weeks until I get my laptop back! Yay!

To anyone who really wants to murder Light right now, please, consider the bright side: At least he's aware enough to not want to kill L. :P

Luv, hugs, and CAKE!  
Li


	20. Mirror

Chapter 20: Mirror

When L awoke, handcuffed to a bedpost with a chain that looked eerily similar to the one he had used on Light in his past life, the most accurate way to describe his reaction is similar to many of the stages of denial. Disbelief, anger, and sadness, in that order. Practically as soon as he had assessed the situation he determined that Light had drugged his coffee, but he didn't want to believe it. Anger followed, both at Kira, and at himself for not realizing that Light was lying. And finally, sadness. Light had proven beyond all doubt that he was Kira once again, and there was nothing L could do about it.

The chain was long enough to reach into the small bathroom, but he couldn't reach any of the other walls. He wanted to try the door, even if he only expected it was locked. There were no windows, and the bed was the only piece of furniture. There was nothing he could use as a lock-pick or any kind of weapon if someone showed up.

Judging from the way the room was laid out, he was likely in someone's house. If he had to guess, he would assume Drevan, the leader of the current mess with Kira. The only thing he couldn't fathom was why they hadn't killed him yet. Kira, he had assumed, would be all too eager to be rid of him.

Obviously, none of the new Kiras had equipment sophisticated enough to allow for cameras in the room, and that was only a blessing in L's eyes. For some reason, he still had the white notebook on his person. They hadn't searched him, and Ryuk had been gone when Light returned to the apartment. There was no way that the notebook could help him in this situation, as he knew no one's full name but Light, and he couldn't bring himself to even consider the thought of killing the other boy. Not with a murder notebook. And, of course, the fact that he had nothing to write with anyway. The only consolation that the Death Note brought him was that it was still in his hands, and not in theirs.

xXx

After what seemed like hours to the bored detective, he noticed that he was hungry. Obviously it was close to some meal time, but which one? It had been afternoon when he was kidnapped. Was this dinner, or even breakfast or lunch the following morning? He had no way to tell. He couldn't tell anything; the time, if there were even people in the house… He didn't even know what day it was.

The sound of the door unlocking drew his attention, and he looked up to see Light come in, carrying a plate and cup.

"Light-kun…" L murmured, almost a growl. Light smiled, an emotion behind it that L couldn't place, and set the plate down. There was a sandwich on it, and a few potato chips.

"Enjoying your stay, L?" Light asked. L wanted to get up and kick him, but refrained. Instead, he asked bluntly, "What day is it? What time?"

Light raised an eyebrow. "One o'clock the day after I drugged you." he replied, sounding bored. "I was expecting more interesting questions than that."

"You mean, am I wondering why you did it." L said, a hint of a smile barely flickering across his lips. "To me, it doesn't matter why you did it, Light-kun. What matters is, you drugged me, and I am here. And I have no trust in you anymore."

Anger flashed through Light's mahogany eyes. "I've saved your life, L. Would you prefer death to being a prisoner? I've kept them from killing you. I haven't even allowed Drevan to see your name."

L blinked impassively at the sandwich Light had brought. "No sweets?" he asked pointedly, ignoring Light's attempt at justification.

Light scowled. "There are no sweets in the house, L. Sorry." It came out sharply, not at all apologetic, and Light frowned before settling back into his attempt to be nice. "I'll leave you to eat. You probably don't want to talk to me at the moment." He set the cup down next to the plate and left L alone, re-locking the door behind him.

L did eat the sandwich, considering that he had had no dinner and no breakfast before it. It wasn't something sweet, but it was food, after all.

The bare little room seemed more and more like a prison the longer L stayed there. He tried to keep himself busy, seeing what he could hear when hushed voices passed by the doorway, or plotting how he could escape. If he could just reach Near…

Light returned after a long time, leaving a bowl of spaghetti for L's dinner and exiting again without speaking. Apparently he still thought that L wasn't ready to speak with him. In truth, L had lots of questions. Most importantly, why had Light allowed Kira to consume him so completely?

He slept briefly, not trusting anyone. Not Light, and certainly not Drevan, master of the house and mastermind behind Kira's latest attempt at a "perfect world". It would be a sick, Kira-like joke to make him believe he was safe, and knife him in the back when he let his guard down. It had been stupid to trust Light to begin with. Now he had condemned himself to the same fate he had suffered all those years ago. Because no matter what Light said or claimed, he would eventually tire of this game he was playing and kill L.

xXx

Over the next several days, L was brought regular meals by Light. He never saw anyone else in the house, and was not allowed to leave the room. Light had spoken little, probably assuming that no matter what he said, he would not be able to change L's mind regarding anything. On the fourth or fifth day of being trapped in the room, L finally asked Light quietly, "How long do you plan to keep me here?"

Light looked up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes that L was actually speaking to him. "Until you see that our goal of a peaceful world is the right one." he replied.

L stared at him, then looked down at the bowl of soup he was holding. "Is it truly a peaceful world you want? Or will you try to rule, and kill those in your way, as you did seventeen years ago?"

"I think you know that that's not true." Light said. He watched L set the bowl aside, and continued, "After all, you would not be alive if I were to kill everyone who opposed our goal."

"The great Kira shows mercy?" L asked sarcastically. Light reached out, brushing his fingers against L's face softly. L shifted back, shaking off the touch. "Don't touch me, Light-kun."

Light ignored him, moving closer. L tried to move back, but got tangled in the chain connecting him to the headboard. He cursed silently as he realized that his current predicament didn't leave him much slack to move his arms, or to push Light away.

Light leaned close. "I will just ask you to remember, L. If I wanted to kill you, there are a hundred ways to do it that don't involve Drevan seeing your name. Drevan wishes your death, but has agreed that I may keep you alive. Dangerous or not, I still feel the same about you." He dipped his head, kissing L lightly on the lips.

L struggled against the tangled chain, finally planting his foot into Light's stomach and forcing the other boy to stumble back, wheezing. "Don't touch me, Light-kun. You are not longer the person I trusted to be that close."

"Who am I, then?" Light demanded. "I'm still Light Kagayaki, L! I'm still the same person!"

"No." L whispered. "You are Kira."

Light glared at him, before storming from the room. L sat silently, reaching over and hugging one of the pillows tightly. Kira… He might look like Light, he might sound like Light, and he might try to act like Light, but deep down, he was a murderer who did not like being denied. Maybe Light's resolve would crack now. Maybe he might be mad enough to actually kill L. L almost wished he would. Nothing could be worse than living in a prison; a prison created by the person who had held your heart for so long.

He wondered, looking briefly around his prison room before gripping the pillow tightly again, if this was how Beyond Birthday had felt. L hadn't thought about his murderous heir and pseudo twin in a long time. But he couldn't help but think of him now. Thrown in prison by the one he cared about, waiting only for the time that he could die. After his unsuccessful suicide, he must have longed for death, until Kira came along and granted his wish. L had never gotten to apologize to him.

Beyond's actions had been unforgivable. Brutal and violent murders for the sole purpose of getting L's attention… He was a scar upon Wammy's House's history. His betrayal and A's suicide had been terrible events. Most of the children hadn't known what had happened. Mello, Near, and Matt had. Mello looked up to Beyond, and Near, obviously, was smart enough to figure out the events that had taken place.

L couldn't help but wonder if Beyond's soul was out there somewhere; if he had gotten a second chance like Light. He hoped so.

xXx

The next morning when L woke up, there was something sitting in the middle of the floor. He sat up, getting out of bed and going to inspect it curiously. It was a plate, and sitting on it was a huge slice of chocolate cake. A tag sitting next to it said, in Light's handwriting, "Happy Christmas, L."

L stared at it in disbelief. He had been here almost a week. From the date that he had been kidnapped… today was Christmas. The cake looked perfect, like something from a photograph rather than reality, and it was the first bit of sugar L had seen in a week. He stared at it for a long moment, bending over and picking up the plate.

_How dare _Light mock him like this! L picked up the cake and hurled it at the wall, furious. A piece of cake wasn't going to make things right, and if Light thought it would, he was stupid. L considered a moment, then threw the plate as well, listening to the satisfying crash when it broke. Happy Christmas indeed.

xXx

"You may as well kill me."

It was the first thing L said after Light walked into the room. Light set down the tray of food, walking over to L and running his fingers through the other's raven hair.

"That is not a request to make of someone who cares so deeply for you." Light said gently. As before, L shook off his touch, turning away.

"You have a funny way of showing it." he growled.

Light glanced at the ruined cake. "I went through a great deal of trouble to get that for you, and you threw it at a wall?"

"I do not appreciate being mocked." L murmured, looking down. He was silent for a long moment. "What will make you snap out of it?" he asked. "Kira?" His voice was sad. "You know that I will never be allowed to leave this place alive. I will likely never be allowed out of this room. I would rather be dead than a prisoner of foolish Kiras."

Light didn't answer, just walked rather quickly from the room. L watched him go, startled. There had been a flash of real emotion in Light's eyes for a moment. Actual pain had flickered in their depths at the mention of L being killed. L had learned to read Light's eyes a long time ago, and this was nothing less than truth. Maybe Kira didn't completely own his soul. Maybe there was just the tiniest piece of Light Kagayaki still left in the boy. If L could coax that piece to the surface, he could save Light from Kira.

The thought made him happy. It appeared that no matter what, Light was an important part of his very existence. Friends, rivals, enemies, lovers… No matter what they ended up as, they would be together. L was certain.

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School laptops are back!! I'm on a reading/writing binge. I was up till 4:40 in the morning the first night. :) I know, I'm terrible. But I have zero time to go to the library and post, which is why this is so late.

This chapter was written while listening to Pat Benatar's "We Belong". I command all of you to go listen, now!

_  
Many times I've tried to tell you  
Many times I've cried alone  
Always I'm surprised how well you  
Cut my feelings to the bone_

Don't want to leave you really  
I've invested too much time  
To give you up that easy  
To the doubts that complicate your mind

We belong to the light,  
We belong to the thunder…  
We belong to the sound of the words  
We've both fallen under…  
Whatever we deny or embrace  
For worse or for better…  
We belong, we belong,  
We belong together

This chapter also contains an **obligatory BB reference!! **Because I love him. :)

Anyway, next chapter we'll see what Emi, Drevan, Himeko, and Mizuki have been up to. …You're going to hate me for how it ends. :)

Hugs!  
Li

P.S. Before I go, I've had a request for an alternate version of this chapter. Namely something yaoi. :) I refuse to rate the story M for just one chapter, so tell me what y'all would think about a 'bonus chapter'. (Artsfan, I'll probably send you one regardless, because you asked nicely and I luv you. :) )

Thanks!  
Li


	21. Cataracts of Second Thoughts

Chapter 21: Cataracts of Second Thoughts

While Light attempted to talk L around, Drevan was meeting with his remaining helpers, planning for what needed to happen next. Even though Light was interesting to have around, he hadn't been part of this from the beginning, and Drevan wasn't sure he could trust him. For now, he needed his other three, because they had things to discuss.

"We have to find Taro's notebook." Drevan said irritably. "If he gave it up, it has either fallen into the hands of someone else, or Ryuk took it back to the Shinigami world.

"I doubt that." Mizu's Shinigami, Gukku, said with a sarcastic laugh. "Ryuk wouldn't give up his fun that easily." He had a point. Ryuk would have given the notebook to someone else. The only explanation at this point would be for someone to have picked it up.

"What's the big deal?" Himeko asked. "So we're missing one. What does that matter?"

Drevan looked at her, his gaze icy. "Six is the maximum number of notebooks with power allowed in the human world at one time. Having all six on our side would make us practically unstoppable." Emi glanced at him, sensing something else underneath his words, but said nothing. Drevan continued grandly, "With no sign of the current L, and the previous L as our prisoner, there's no one left to stand in our way."

"Wait." Himeko said. "L is here?"

"Light insisted that he be brought here. I agreed that if he were to be kept prisoner, he would not have to die." There was a touch of bitterness in Drevan's voice, as if he regretted that agreement.

"He's imprisoned here? Drevan, L is an innocent person. Even with his memories, he's not a criminal! We can't keep him here like this." Himeko protested. She and Mizuki hadn't known that Drevan was keeping L prisoner, and it horrified them.

Mizuki chimed in, adding, "Light arrived a week ago, and you've kept L locked up that long? That's cruel, Drevan."

"It is necessary to achieve a perfect world. L would attempt to stop us, and I'm certain that he knows how to contact the current L. He would bring the might of Interpol down on our heads, and we can't have that."

Meko and Mizu glanced at each other, seeming to come to an agreement before looking back at Drevan. "Then we can't do this anymore, Drevan." Himeko said. "We can take killing criminals, but keeping an innocent person locked up like this… We'll have no part in it. You can have the Death Notes, and we want to leave."

Drevan blinked, looking at them oddly. They appeared resolute in their decisions. He was silent for a moment, then nodded. "That's fine."

Both were astonished. They had assumed that it would be much harder to convince him than that. Each stood, handing Drevan their notebooks. "We'll give up ownership as soon as we get home. Then it will pass to you, and we'll remember nothing." Mizuki said. "Okay?"

"Yes." Drevan nodded curtly. "Thank you for your part in this." He watched them leave. Only when they were safely out of sight did he break into a wide smile. Emi frowned, moving to sit in the chair across from him.

"You wanted them to leave." she said softly, almost accusing. "That's why you didn't try to stop them."

"They were never as committed as we were to our goal." Drevan said lightly. "Everything is building up to the climax at this point, which was actually why I wanted to speak with you."

Emi tilted her head curiously, wondering what her boyfriend was planning.

"Tomorrow…" Drevan began. "I'm going to get Kinddara to find Ryuk, and bring whoever has the last notebook. An important piece of this will happen tomorrow; something that could seal our permanent victory, but we need the last notebook. I'm going to Daikoku Wharf early in the morning to scope out the Yellow Box warehouse, and there are a few things I need for you to do here."

"Isn't Yellow Box where the original Kira fell?" Emi asked.

"Yes. That makes it poetic justice to seal the new Kira's victory there." Drevan said. "What I need you to do is bring L and Light to the warehouse later."

"What purpose does that serve?" Emi asked.

Drevan smiled. "Light has a notebook, and he obviously won't leave L here alone." He paused, then continued, "I have hired a… 'professional' to aid me with what I have to get done at Yellow Box. He's a criminal, though, so I also need you to kill him when he is done with his task. I will give you his name before I leave in the morning, so it can be done when you get there and see him."

"And what is this 'task' he has to perform?" Emi asked quietly.

Drevan glanced around then leaned forward to whisper the details into her ear. Emi's eyes widened in shock, and she pulled back to stare at her boyfriend. "But…"

"It's for the good of the new world." Drevan said, hugging her. "I don't know if we can count on Light, because his loyalty is in jeopardy if anything comes up involving L. I trust you more than I trust him."

"I don't know if I can do this…" Emi said uncertainly. Drevan kissed her, murmuring, "I do. I have great faith in you, Emi."

"I'll… I'll try." Emi said, and Drevan smiled.

"Thank you, Emi."

xXx

Light was in his guest room, pondering the circumstances that they had ended up in. L hated him now, he was sure. At the very least, he'd rather be dead, which was the worst thing in Light's eyes. He didn't know how to make L understand that he was trying to do the right thing. He cared about L, which was why he had bargained with Drevan to save L's life. That turned out to be a deal with the devil, because he still didn't know the full extent of Drevan's plan. The American seemed fixated on a goal, but Light wasn't so sure anymore that a crime-free world was his plan.

But no matter what happened, he would keep L safe. He wouldn't let the detective become another victim of Kira. Not again.

xXx

Near, with Commander Rester at his side and Gevanni and Halle close behind, walked down the hall of L and Light's apartment building, intent to see them. He had found out where they lived, and decided to see if anything had happened. Neither one had tried to contact him, which surprised him. He had thought that L, at least, might call.

He knocked on the door, the three members of the SPK tense behind him. He had informed Rester and Halle about the situation, but they were still uneasy about the previous Kira.

No one answered the door, and Near tried the knob, finding it unlocked, which seemed strange considering how late in the evening it was. He opened the door slowly, and paused at the sight of a boy sitting on the couch by himself, talking to thin air at a rapid pace. He looked up, seeing the people in the doorway, and asked, "Who are you?"

"What are you doing in a home that is obviously not yours?" Near countered.

The boy sighed. "I'm Taro Kagami, and I'm waiting for L and Light to come back." Near's eyes widened at the name, and Taro continued, "They haven't been here for a week. I'm getting worried." He was swallowing fear and panic, but what he was afraid of, Near couldn't tell. All he knew was that the boy was hiding how scared he actually was.

"Taro Kagami…" Near murmured. "When L last spoke to me, he gave me your name as being Kira."

"I gave up my notebook!" Taro cried, frantically. "I gave it to L, and Ryuk told me I could keep my memories." He glanced at the space above his shoulder, then back. "Are you Near? Ryuk says hi."

"I am indeed Near." Near said. "I would say it is good to see you, Shinigami-san, but I cannot. Taro, my name is Near, but I am also the current L." Taro gasped. Near smiled faintly, adding, "Anything you could tell me about the people acting as Kira would be helpful."

"You have to stop Drevan!" Taro yelled suddenly, the mask hiding his fear falling away. "Something terrible is going to happen if you don't!" Near started to ask something, but Taro kept talking. "Ryuk told me about the rule! They're all in danger! L too, and it's my fault!"

Near reached out, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. What rule?" He listened intently as Taro explained, then turned to look at Gevanni, Halle, and Rester. All of them wore equal expressions of horror. Near looked back at Taro, asking, "Where would he be?"

"If he's not at his house, I don't know. He said something about matching times and places, but I'm not sure what he meant. He doesn't like to do things at night, either."

"So we're safe for now." Near said. "We have time to plan." To Taro, he said, "Tomorrow, you will take us to this Drevan's house, and we'll handle it from there."

"Drevan has Shinigami eyes…" Taro said uneasily. "He'll kill you."

Near smiled wryly. "We know how to handle that." The other three nodded. Near sent Taro home, with the request to return in the morning, before turning to his closest helpers. "Halle, call Carter and tell him we will be remaining here for the night. Commander Rester, make sure that all weapons are in proper working order. We don't know what to expect out there. Gevanni, help him." As they hurried to work, Near sat down on the sofa, pulling one knee to his chest.

"We can stop him, as long as we're not too late…"

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So, with the Crusade Group down to two, Near in Japan, and Drevan's 'plan' finally getting its' ass in gear, how will things turn out for L and Light? (snicker) I know, but you don't. :) Just like I know the plan. Don't you love how I never mentioned it in specifics? :)

**I GOT TO SEE L CHANGE THE WORLD!!** It was such a great movie... It made me laugh, it made me cry, it mentioned Beyond Birthday... Go now to www(DOT)mysoju(DOT)com and watch it with subtitles if you haven't seen it or the first two. I command it! I also got to read Chapter 109. If you want to know what Near looks like as a grown-up, look there. It's amazing.

Anyway, to leave you all on a distinctly cliffhangered note, I would like to include some lyrics from the Foo Fighter's song "DOA". Take them as you will, and remember what I said a few chapters ago… It gets worse before it gets better. :)

Lots of love  
Li

_Well, you know I did it  
It's over and I feel fine.  
Nothing you can say is gonna change my mind  
Waited, and I waited the longest night  
Nothing like the taste of sweet decline_

_I went down and I fell, I fell so fast  
Dropping like the grains in an hour glass  
Never say forever 'cause nothing lasts  
Dancing with the thorns of my buried past_

_Never mind there's nothing I can do  
Bet your life there's something killing you._

_It's a shame we have to die, my dear  
No one's getting out of here alive  
This time  
What a way to go but have no fear  
No one's getting out of here alive  
This time_

_It's a shame we have to disappear  
No one's getting out of here alive  
This time…_


	22. A Killer's Heart

_It's not like you didn't know that;  
__I said I loved you and I swear I still do.  
__And it must have been so bad;  
_'_Cause livin' with me must've damn near killed you.  
__And this is how, you remind me  
__Of what I really am…  
__This is how, you remind me  
__Of what I really am…_

_Nickleback – "How You Remind Me"_

Chapter 22: A Killer's Heart

Emi climbed the stairs to Light's room slowly, uncertain of what she was about to do. Drevan had left that morning for Daikoku Wharf, his instructions for her clear. But she wasn't sure if her resolve to follow them was as strong as it was originally. Drevan had told her the plan, and even if it was vague at the end, Emi had understood that Drevan intended to go through it wholeheartedly. But was it right…?

She stopped in front of Light's door, hesitating a moment before knocking quietly. He opened the door, looking down at her in confusion.

"Emi?"

"May I come in?" Emi asked, her eyes on the floor. Light moved aside, letting her step into the room, and she sighed. "Drevan is beginning a plan today that could seal our victory, and he wants me to bring you and L with me to meet him."

"He's left already?" Light asked, suspicious. "Where are we going, and why should we bring L?"

"You will see where we are going in due time. As for L, I don't know how long we'll be gone, and I didn't think you would want to leave him locked up with no food for that long." Emi lied easily. It was too easy, really. She wanted to tell Light the truth, but that would be the end of everything. Drevan's plan made sense, in the end.

Light nodded slowly. "All right. Shall I get L?"

"Yes. I'd like to leave as soon as possible." Emi replied. She turned and left the room, startled by how easy it had been to lie to the master of liars. She shook her head, sighing. Things were in motion, now, and she didn't think she would be able to stop them if she wanted to. All that remained was to watch and see what happened.

xXx

L looked up, surprised, as Light opened the door and stepped into what L had mockingly begun to call 'his room'.

"Light-kun knows that it is not lunchtime, correct? And he's already brought me my breakfast…" L said, more to himself than to Light. Silently he pondered Light's reason for coming to visit him, knowing that it would be nothing good.

Light walked over to the bed, unlocking the chain from the headboard and un-cuffing the other end from L's wrist. L stared at him in puzzlement, unsure where this was going. "Are you letting me go?"

"No. We're going out, and I don't know how long we'll be gone. You have to come with us." Light said quietly, not meeting L's eyes.

"Where are we going?" L asked.

"I don't know. Drevan says this could seal our victory. Wouldn't you like to be there to witness that?"

"I do not wish to see murderers win, Light-kun." L said sharply. Light raised an eyebrow.

"Are you coming?" he asked. "If you fight, I have normal length handcuffs. Or shackles, for your feet. Please don't make me use them."

L deliberated, then meekly followed Light from the room. His mind was whirring a mile a minute. What was Drevan planning at this unknown location? It had to be something Light didn't realize. L had easily picked up on the fact that Drevan hated that he was still alive. He felt the white notebook slide against his stomach and sighed. Did they wonder what had become of Taro? The boy still had his memories, but L assumed he would stay away.

Emi was waiting with a car out front, and L and Light climbed into the back without protest. She drove away from Drevan's house, heading back towards Tokyo.

xXx

L saw the moment that Light realized where they were going. His face went pale, and he mouthed something that L couldn't quite see.

"What is it, Light-kun?" he asked.

"Yellow Box…" Light murmured. "Daikoku Wharf's warehouses… He wanted us to come _here_? Does he _know_?" L remembered suddenly that Yellow Box was where Light had died, killed by the Shinigami Ryuk in front of Near, the SPK, and the entire task force. He himself had been there, ethereal and faint, but there. Obviously this place would have this kind of effect on Light.

Light looked frantically towards the front of the car, where Emi was driving. "Emi! Why are we here?"

"Drevan thought it was appropriate." Emi replied. "That Kira should win in the place where his downfall occurred." She pulled into a parking area outside of Yellow Box, getting out and opening the car door for L. Light got out on the other side, puzzled. L stared at Emi, trying to read her expression, but it remained elusively out of reach. She refused to meet either of their eyes, leading the way into the empty warehouse.

Daikoku Wharf had been abandoned for a long time. Dusty cobwebs hung from the ceiling, and the fans that had once circulated air throughout the room were rusted and broken. Light looked around as if in a dream, as though uncertain whether this was really happening.

Emi walked over to speak to a man L and Light hadn't noticed. She knew his name. Drevan had told her that morning, because through Shinigami eyes he could tell that this man was called Takuo Otoharada. They looked at each other warily for a moment, then the guy spoke.

"You're Emi?" he said roughly.

"_Hai_. Where's Drevan?"

"He's gone over to the other warehouse. He said you were to follow him when we're done here." Takuo said. He glanced at Light and L, and Emi nodded.

Light frowned in confusion as Emi took a step towards them both. "What's going on?" he asked, wary of the expression on her face.

Emi looked at the ground, then up, her eyes locking with Light's. "He cannot be allowed to live." she said. Light knew instantly that she was talking about L. He started to protest, but she cut him off. "He would betray us at the first opportunity. We would be forced to hold him prisoner forever. This has already been decided, Light."

"I didn't agree!" Light snapped.

"Drevan and I both knew that your opinion is biased. There isn't room for protest, Light. The only thing I can ask of you or L now is if we can know his name." Emi said. She waved her black notebook at him. "If we had his name, it could be painless."

L, his eyes wide, stared at Light. Light shook his head once, sharply. "No!"

"Then there is no other way." Light stared at her curiously, uncertain what she meant, and then gasped.

L's eyes were wide as the man standing beside Emi raised the gun. He didn't hear the shots, the pounding footsteps, Light's voice screaming his name, his _real_ name. His world had shrunk to where the only things in it were him and the bullets currently speeding towards him. Suddenly, there was something between him and the shots, Light's arms wrapping tight around him and refusing to let go, forcing L down with him. L shuddered, his face buried against Light's shoulder, as the other forced himself up, breathing heavily.

"Light…" L breathed, confused but unable to stop clinging to the other. "What…?"

"I won't… lose you… again…" Light panted. He winced then, a small gasp of pain escaping his lips, and L's eyes widened. No, no he couldn't have…

"Light!" Blood was soaking through the back of the other boy's shirt, revealing the severity of his wounds. Light smiled, though it was pained. He hadn't been fast enough to get L away, so he had blocked the shots the only way he knew how.

"The way I see it…" he murmured, his eyes hazy, "I've already… been shot once… in a past life… So I can… handle it… again…"

L sat up, clinging to Light tightly. "You have to get to a hospital, Light…" One of Light's hands was curled up, holding on to L's shoulder as his head rested in the crook of L's arm, and L's memories shrieked irrationally that _No, this wasn't right, it's supposed to be __**me**__ dying in __**your**__ arms…!_

Light laughed. "You called me Light… No… honorific… You've never… done that outside… of France… before…" The laugh turned into a cough, and L was horrified to see him coughing up blood. He recovered, adding weakly, "Sorry, L…"

"Light!" L cried. Light smiled, summoning the strength to speak the words that both he and L had been avoiding since that long-ago day in their apartment, when something had changed between them.

"I love you…" he whispered. L buried his face into Light's hair, feeling tears threatening his eyes. In the end, Light had been stronger than Kira. All he had needed was something that mattered more. L mattered more.

"I love you too, Light." he said, tears slipping down his cheeks. Light reached to squeeze his hand, before his grip went limp and his eyes closed. L let out a strangled sob, as he clutched Light's hand tightly to himself.

Emi had written down the hit-man's name, as instructed, and he had fallen dead. But she stopped, staring at L and Light, unable to finish the second part of her instructions.

_"Light cannot be trusted. Both he and L must die. We knew that this was inevitable. Emi, after you kill the man I hired, you must write down Light's name and kill him as well…"_

Emi stared at L, who was still cradling Light's hand. She took a hesitant step forward and whispered, "He really loved you, didn't he?"

L turned, as if remembering that she was still there, and his eyes were so full of hate that Emi recoiled from them. He placed Light's hand carefully down, and stood up, yanking the white notebook from under his shirt. Emi gasped.

"You had it!" she whispered. "Shidoh is looking for Ryuk, to see where Taro went, but _you_ have it…"

"Would you kill Taro too?" L said, his voice dead. "Drevan spares no mercy, does he? He intended Light and I both to die." His eyes blazed. "_Where is he?_"

Emi hesitated, but gasped suddenly as everything seemed to come to her at once. She pointed to the door at the far end of the warehouse. "Through there…" She looked up at L, who glanced from her to the door and back. "For the one you loved." Emi said. "It's what I would have wanted, if someone had killed Drevan."

L noted the past tense, but said nothing, turning and walking the length of the warehouse before disappearing through the door Emi had indicated. Emi stared at him until he vanished from sight, then looked around the room. Light's body lay near the middle of the room, and if she tried, she could imagine the SPK and the Japanese task force standing around watching Kira's defeat. But Light wasn't Kira anymore. Only the shadow of a memory. Closer to her lay the dead hit-man, his gun sitting where it had fallen from his hands as he died. She leaned over, picking it up, and stared at it for a long moment. She sighed almost inaudibly, looking back at Light again. In the end, love had won over Kira. Was that what it took? L was, very possibly, walking away to his death. With Shinigami eyes and a Death Note, Drevan had the advantage. Could she stand by and let this happen?

She wasn't sure anymore.

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Rest in Peace, Light-kun. ToT

Sorry, people. This is how it had to be. Drevan is L's fight, and always has been. I'm sorry about Light. But this time around, it was for the right reasons. Kira was not the death of him this time.

The hit man is named after the first and second people Light killed in the book. This has no relevance to anything except my own bizarre sense of humor. :)

Next chapter, we will find out where Near and Taro have been, and the secret of Drevan's goals and past. I'll leave you with some more song lyrics. It might be a while, because I'm booked next weekend, but I'll see you next chapter.

OH! I'm putting up the bonus chapter I mentioned a chapter or two ago. You can get to it through my profile. (turns red, mumbles) Ehh... Something I've never written before, obviously...

Love,  
Li

_Like a gift from the heavens,  
__It was easy to tell…  
__It was love from above  
__That could save me from Hell…_

_He had fire in his soul;  
__It was easy to see  
__How the Devil himself  
__Could be pulled out of me…_

"_Into the Night" – Santana _


	23. The Moment of Epiphany

Chapter 23: The Moment of Epiphany

Near looked around warily as he got out of the car. Gevanni, Halle, and Rester stood in front of him and Taro, guns trained on the house. All present were wearing helmets with darkened visors, in case of Shinigami eyes. When there was nothing but silence, Halle and Rester went to work, kicking the door in frantically. The three SPK members hurried inside, leaving Taro and Near to stare at the house.

"This is Drevan's house?" Near asked, simply to confirm.

"Yeah. Him and Emi live here." Taro replied.

Near smiled faintly, sadly. "There's no one here."

Taro turned to stare at him, confused. Near was probably the strangest grown-up he had ever met, but he certainly shouldn't be able to know that. Near saw the stare, and nodded. "They would have reacted by now, if they were here."

At that moment, Gevanni returned, sticking his head out the door and calling, "Near, there's no one here!"

Near smirked, the expression just a flash before being gone again. He turned to Taro, asking calmly, "If they weren't here, where would they have gone?"

Taro closed his eyes, thinking. "Drevan said something about a correlation between past and present, and something about irony and poetic justice. He wanted to win somewhere where it would be poetic justice."

Near frowned. "Poetic justice it would be… if…" He paused, his eyes widening. Looking to Gevanni, he said quickly, "Get Halle and Commander Rester. I know where they are."

xXx

As L stormed through the connecting hallway between the two warehouses, he didn't even know what he was planning to do when he reached Drevan. All he knew was that the man was responsible for Light's death. L had lost him _again_, and it was all Drevan's fault.

He flung open the door at the end of the hallway and stepped out into the second empty warehouse. If Drevan was surprised to see him there, covered in blood and clutching the white notebook, the mass murderer didn't show it. Instead, he looked on L with eyes that flickered red, and L knew that at the moment, he was outmatched. Drevan's red notebook lay on the ground behind him, next to Himeko's and Mizuki's. Light's was with him, and Emi still had hers. The white one, held tightly in L's hands, was near-useless if he didn't know Drevan's full name.

"Lawliet Corbeau." Drevan said quietly. "It is nice to finally be able to speak face-to-face. I suppose I should introduce myself." L's eyes widened. Would it really be this easy? "My name is Drevan Ricter."

"Why?" L asked before he could stop himself.

Drevan chuckled. "To give us an even footing. You have a notebook; so do I. You know my name; I know yours." He twirled a pen between his fingers. "Of course…" He let the sentence hang, and L mentally cringed. Dammit. Notebook or not, he had nothing to write with.

Drevan smiled. "I suppose I should ask… Did you kill Emi?" He raised an eyebrow as L instantly looked disgusted. "I suppose not. Is Light with her, then? I guess he's on your side again."

L looked at the floor, then back up. "Your gunman killed Light. He jumped in front of me to save me. I left Emi in the other warehouse."

"So _that's_ what happened!" Drevan looked amused. "I thought that I could hear the gun going off. I was just waiting for Emi. You were both supposed to die, you know. You and Light."

L stared at him, judging the distance between them, wondering if, if he moved fast enough, he might be able to get to the notebooks just behind Drevan. As if sensing what L was thinking, Drevan picked up the red notebook, waving it absently. "Don't try anything, L."

This man… This childish murderer… What was he planning? What was he waiting for? L weighed the risks carefully. He was going to die regardless if he didn't do anything. Better to take a chance now, and go for either the notebook or the pen. He tightened his grip on the white notebook and jumped, falling into a capoeira au and attempting to kick the other as he turned back upright. Drevan dodged, and the only thing L got for his trouble was his bare foot catching the edge of the murderer's notebook.

Drevan growled angrily, losing any illusion of being polite. "You think that you can best me that easily? If I recall, you've been held prisoner, and have chased me in circles for weeks! I'm better than you, L!"

L returned the glare Drevan sent his way, saying sharply, "You're a murderer. No murderer is better than me." He blinked in surprise at the Shinigami hovering over Drevan's shoulder, and realized it was the one attached to the red notebook.

"Dealer." the Shinigami said sharply. "Don't underestimate this one." She smiled wickedly, baring a row of pointed teeth.

"Of course not, Kinddara." Drevan replied. He grinned at L, and the black-haired boy frowned.

"I don't understand you." L said, ignoring the nickname that the Shinigami had for Drevan. "I didn't get Light Yagami either. How can a human being care so little about other life that he can murder thousands of people?" He stared at the man claiming to be Kira, waiting for an answer.

Drevan smirked.

"Oh, but you wouldn't be able to understand, _Lawliet_." He tossed L's name out as a barb, leaving L to sting with the knowledge that this man not only knew his name, but had Death Note and pen in hand. "I've done this before. I'm accustomed to death like you wouldn't believe. Haven't you ever wondered if there were others like you? Everyone is reincarnated eventually, but some come back quicker than others. If fate decides you deserve a second chance, you'll be reincarnated much quicker. Someone up there liked you and your precious Light. As opposed to me. I was dead a long time. But anyway, it takes a conscious decision on a Shinigami's part to unlock memories, and Kinddara unlocked mine."

L's eyes widened in understanding. Drevan was reincarnated as well. "Then… Who were you?" Something in him was afraid to know, but the part of him that was a detective demanded that the question be asked.

Drevan's eyes glowed, and it was a look L recognized all too well. It was a look he remembered in Light's eyes, from when he still held Kira's point of view. Drevan waved the Death Note, its blood-red color glinting under the extra bright, bare light-bulbs hanging overhead. "I was the original Kira." he declared. "I was the one who first tried to cleanse the world. They changed the rules for human beings because of me, you know. Because of what I did." His eyes glinted wickedly. "You used to not have to be as specific. My country, my continent, was rotting, and I wanted to cleanse it of all the terrible people. Let me tell you a story, Lawliet. Let's see if all your smarts can give you the answer." He began to pace slowly back and forth. L never took his eyes off the man's Death Note.

"Once upon a time there was a continent called Europe. And all the people in Europe were either poor and useless or rich and arrogant and self-centered. And then the Shinigami's gift came to me, and I was given the opportunity to fix it, to cleanse the world. So I wrote." He closed his eyes and began to recite, obviously from memory. "_A disease sweeps Europe, killing many in its wake. It runs a natural course, and then dies away._ That is what I wrote. I joined a merchant caravan going to India before I wrote it, and when we were safely out of Europe, it struck."

L was frozen with shock. "Not… the Black Plague?"

Drevan laughed with delight. "Yes! Very good! It worked just as well as I'd hoped. But the Shinigami got worried. You see, if there aren't enough people to kill to renew their life-spans, they will all die. I was murdered by a Shinigami, and the rules were changed so that that level of destruction could never be reached again. They even gave me a nickname, to fall into their history. They called me the Black Dealer."

L stared at him in horror. Possibly the single worst epidemic to ever occur in human history, and this man was responsible for it? Here was a man worse than Kira, a pitiless killer. He took a short breath, opening his mouth to ask, "So why all of this? Why Kira? Why not make a new name for yourself?"

Drevan smirked. "Kira is a name with power, thanks to Light Yagami. Why wouldn't I take the power that name offered? I never needed those other five fools. A child, two silly teenaged girls, an antisocial maverick, and a besotted fangirl. This was all a means to my end. They never mattered beyond being my pawns."

"Emi loves you." L said, stunned. She had tried to have him killed, for this murderer who cared nothing for her.

"Love is a weakness, Lawliet. You should know. It got you into this mess." Drevan chuckled. L looked down at the notebook in his hands, then back at Drevan.

"You would be caught, just like any other Kira. How are you any different than Light Yagami was?" he said. Sharply, he added in a hiss, "You're nowhere near as smart."

Drevan laughed. "You don't know, do you? Ryuk never bothered to finish writing the last rule." He smiled when L's eyes widened in recognition, looking up at the ceiling, his eyes alight. "This whole world is rotten! People are rotten to the core! No one knows anything of care for their fellow man anymore. Kindness and compassion are buried beneath man's insistence to put himself first, and damn everyone else. It would be best to just start all over!" There was an almost fanatical edge to his voice now, and L watched in horrified fascination as a wild expression came over his face. "With all six notebooks, I could do it! I could have all the power! Rules would no longer matter! I could _destroy_ the rules, and no one would be able to stop me! Even the Shinigami wouldn't be safe from me! Like years ago, I could purge the world!"

L stared at him, suddenly terrified of this man. Here was a man crazier than Light ever was; someone who wanted to kill most of the human race to make a better world. Another Black Plague, another epidemic disaster… He couldn't let this happen.

Drevan was still talking. "It would rain sand over the world!" he said happily, lost in his own delusional dream. "When the Death Gods die… Because why do we need Gods of Death when Death itself walks abroad?!"

L gazed at Kinddara, wondering how the Shinigami could stand idly by while he spoke of murdering Death Gods. But he saw the vicious smile on her face, and realized that she enjoyed the death and murder, more than someone like Ryuk or Rem ever had. He searched his memory for anything that could help, and realized with a start what he could do to save himself. One of the rules of the notebook, coupled with a memory of watching Light Yagami try to murder his protégé. Reaching out as a spirit, unable to stop the young man writing Near's name in his own blood…

L stared at the fingers of his right hand for a moment, raising his index finger to his lips. He flipped open the white notebook, biting sharply on the tip of his finger.

Drevan reacted instantly, saying with a wicked smile, "The last person to try that ended up dead, Lawliet. You're too late. I'll kill you, and go get the other notebooks from Emi, and I'll be unstoppable." He opened the red notebook, setting pen to paper just as L started writing.

L kept his eyes on Drevan, realizing with despair that the other could write faster than him. Blood was awkward to write with. Maybe this was why Light lost. He watched Drevan scribbling his last name in an almost detached way, thinking to himself, _It's over. I've lost…again._

A click from behind him went almost unnoticed, until he heard a gun go off. Drevan fell back, bleeding from a wound in his stomach, and landed heavily. The pen and notebook slipped from his fingers, clattering to the concrete floor. L stared at him for a split second, then moved to finish writing. This man had to die.

"No, L!" Emi cried, running up behind him and grabbing his hand. "Don't!" When he looked at her, confused and angry, she continued, "You mean to give up the notebook? It you don't use it, you retain all memory. Don't throw away your memory for him. And don't throw away your morals. Don't be a murderer." She stared at Drevan, who was groping for the pen. She walked over and stepped on his hand, saying sharply, "Besides… I want to kill him. I've killed too many already. The least I can do is kill him too."

"Emi." L said. "Can you? Wasn't he…?"

"This is _not_ Drevan. The Drevan I loved wasn't a killer." Emi said. "I don't know who he is anymore, but he's wrong. He needs to die."

L watched her impassively. He wasn't going to stop her, if she was determined. She was liable to turn on him if he tried. Emi leveled the gun at her former boyfriend's head. "You're _not_ Drevan." she hissed, and pulled the trigger.

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(blink) Damn, Emi. What's gotten into you? (smile)

I hope I did the situation justice, in any case. One half of a climax for you, and you'll get the explanation next chapter. Buuuuut... That will have to wait a while. I won't be able to update for at least three weeks. All of my Saturdays are monopolized, and between school and the libraries not being open on Sundays... Sorry, my friends.

Oh, yeah... About the plague... That would be the only thing that I DIDN'T research. The information was far too complicated for me to make sense of. Sorry. :)

Two more chapters and an epilogue, if I'm counting right. Oh! And another bonus chapter. :D See you in three weeks!

Hugs!  
Li


	24. Seimei ha Modoru

Dai 24 Shou: Seimei ha Modoru

When L looked again, Emi had fallen to her knees, and was sobbing quietly. L walked over and looked down at her, only able to ask, "Why?"

"I heard everything…" she said, tears running down her face. "We were just pawns, from the moment he had the Death Note. He was out to kill the entire world, and the Shinigami too. Then I knew, he had gone too far; he wasn't the man I loved anymore, and he hadn't been for a long time."

L leaned down, picking up the red notebook from the floor, seeing his name written almost completely: 'Lawliet Corbea'. Like Near before him, someone with a gun had shown up at just the right moment. He retrieved Himeko and Mizuki's notebooks as well, knowing that he now owned four out of six. Emi looked up, rubbing at her tearstained face, and said, "I brought Light's and mine. They're yours. I don't want them. Shidoh… I forfeit!"

L took the notebooks, setting them out in a half-circle around him. Emi gasped quietly, her memories gone. She took in L, covered in blood, and the form of her dead boyfriend lying with a gunshot wound to the head, and screamed. The scream carried on for a long moment, before it faded away as she fainted.

L lifted the white notebook, as it fluttered open on its own in some unseen wind. The pages zipped by, until they settled on the final page of rules.

_There can never be more than six Death Notes active in the human world at once._

_If there is a seventh, it will not have any effect until one of the others is destroyed or returned to the Shinigami Realm._

_If one person is the owner of all six active Death Notes…_

The unfinished rule stood out starkly from the page. L glanced down at the five notebooks lying on the floor around him, then back at the book he held. They were all his. What was the answer to that final rule?

He gasped as the page began to glow, and as if by a giant invisible pen, words flowed onto the page to complete it.

_If one person is the owner of all six active Death Notes… they shall temporarily master Death itself._

L stared at the words for a long moment, taking a deep breath. Mastery of death? L knew what he wanted. He closed the notebook, clutching it to his chest and hoping against everything that it could tell what he wanted, too.

"Aren't you going to write in it?" a voice asked. L turned, seeing all six of the Shinigami hovering nearby. He stared at Ryuk, who had spoken, in confusion. Ryuk chuckled, adding, "You have to write what you want, or it won't happen."

"Do _something_!" Gukku and Deridovely chimed in. "It's boring when nothing happens. And it's been so long since a human had all six…"

L considered for a moment. "If I use it for this, and then give it up, will my memory be lost?"

"Not if you don't want it to." Zellogi said. L's eyes widened, actually realizing the scope of the power he'd been given. He bent to pick up Drevan's fallen pen, and Zellogi said in warning, "But you only get to write in it for this purpose once, so make sure you cover everything the first time."

L could see what Drevan would have written. The crazed murderer would have written a world without Death Note rules, a world where a simple sentence would be enough to kill millions, or even Death Gods themselves. He touched the pen to the paper, knowing what he wanted, and began to write.

_Emi remembers everything concerning the Death Note, even after giving up ownership. I keep my memories even if the notebooks are destroyed or if ownership is given up. I retain my ability to see the Death Gods attached to these notebooks…_

He paused, biting his lip, and finished quickly, _And I want Light Kagayaki back, with all of his memories of these events, alive and whole._ He closed the notebook, holding it in both hands unsteadily, waiting.

Ryuk chuckled. "Aww. It's no fun if you make the good choice. Whatever. We'll leave you to that, then." The Shinigami drifted away through the wall, though Kinddara glared at him. L waited, hearing footsteps coming through the hall connecting the warehouses, and refused to turn to see the door.

"L?"

The notebook dropped from L's numb fingers, fluttering harmlessly to the floor. He wrapped his thin arms tightly around himself, as if trying to keep himself from falling to pieces. He would not look.

"L…" The voice was soft, gentle and understanding, and L hugged himself tighter. He would not look. Orpheus and Eurydice, and he would not look. Orpheus lost his love because he looked to see her spirit following him out of Hades. He would not turn around, no matter how much the voice coerced him. He heard quiet footsteps and shuddered, choking on a sob. Tears gathered in his eyes.

Warm arms slid around him, wrapping around his waist and pulling him close. The tears spilled over as soft lips pressed just under his ear. "It's okay, L. I'm here. I'm real."

L turned around, throwing his arms around the boy standing behind him. He buried his face against Light's chest, unwilling to show the tears he knew were falling. Light held L tightly against him, smiling as the detective nearly crushed his ribcage.

"I know… I'm a dumb-ass, right L?" He laughed as he felt L nod against his shoulder, saying softly, "I'm sorry."

"You were _dead_…" L cried, muffled by Light's shirt. Light nodded, running his hand through L's hair.

"Yeah. Not an experience I'd like to repeat anytime soon." he said softly. L pulled back to stare at him, then wrapped his arms around Light's neck and kissed him. Pulling away, he said quietly, "I love you."

"I love you too, Lawliet." Light said. He kissed L again, then looked at where Emi was still unconscious. L was certain that her mind had simply shut down, unable to cope with memory loss and the situation presented to her. "What do we do with her?" Light asked.

"I don't know. She willingly followed Kira." L replied. "We've never had a living Kira to punish before."

"I guess we should…" Light trailed off, turning to look at the door. L looked too, having heard the footsteps coming their way.

"We got them all…" L said. "There is no one else…" Both waited, holding their breath, and Taro tore through the door and crashed headlong into L.

"You're alive!!" he cried. Looking at Light, he stared for a minute before hugging him too. "And you! You're okay too! You're not bad anymore!"

"Taro?" L asked. "What's going on? How did you get here?"

"Near brought me!" Taro said happily. L looked up in time to see the white-haired man walk through the doorway, stopping to smile at them.

"It seems we're late." he said.

L nodded. He pointed at Drevan's dead body, saying calmly, "This was your real culprit. Drevan Ricter. He wanted to kill off most of the population." Pointing to Emi, who groaned faintly like she was trying to wake up, he continued, "This is his girlfriend, Emi. She came to realize the wrongness of what he was doing, and was the one to shoot him to death."

Near appraised everything silently, then said, "We'll take her into custody, and I'll see what I can do. Gevanni is good at faking things, and we may be able to lessen her punishment slightly. Like Misa Amane, from what you have said she seemed to have been simply following."

"She saved my life." L said quietly. Light's arm tightened around his shoulders.

Near watched the two of them for a second, then said, "Is there anything that you need help with?"

"We'd just like to go home. It's been a long week." Light said. Near nodded.

"Very well. Halle can give you a ride. Go home and rest. You look like you've been through hell, actually."

"You have no idea…" Light muttered, turning and walking with L to the door, leaving Near and the SPK to clean up what was left of Kira's failed attempt at victory.

Chapter 24: Life Returns

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Next chapter and the epilogue will be up at the same time, at least two weeks from now. You're lucky you're getting this one now, because I didn't think I'd have any time to get it up.

There is a place in the interview in HTR13 where Ohba-sensei is talking about how she came up with DN rules. I believe the quote was, "I even thought of some really stupid ones, like 'Get all seven notebooks and your wish will...'" I changed it to six, and took out the 'wish' part, but the fundamental idea is the same.

I wanted a happy ending! If bringing Light back to life is cheating, so be it! (I actually think I'm breaking the last rule. "Once dead, they can never come back to life"... But who cares about that one?) So, happy endings abound next chapter, and Near didn't win. Everyone should be happy!

Love and hugs,  
Li


	25. From One Life to Another

Chapter 25: From One Life to Another

When Light woke up, it was dark. He blinked sleepily at the unfamiliar room. Hadn't he fallen asleep in the living room? Where was he? He tried to get up, but there was something warm on top of him, keeping him in place. He glanced down, and got a face full of soft raven-colored hair. Oh. Right.

They had pushed all the furniture to the walls of the room, leaving the center open and causing someone who didn't see it clearly to believe he was in a completely different place. After recovering for two days, L gave Light a Christmas present in the form of finally getting around to teaching him capoeira. It had been exhausting.

xXx

_"You're doing fine, Light! You've at least gotten the ginga stance down." L said, smiling. Light rolled his eyes._

_"L, that's the easiest move in the entire martial art! That doesn't mean anything!" They had been practicing for at least an hour and a half, and with no room to do any au or a real roda, L had been teaching him basic kicks and defensive positions._

_L moved to the center of the room. "It is said that a capoerista's skill can be measured by how well he can perform the meia lua de compasso kick." When Light looked at him blankly, he added, "The one I keep using to kick you across the room, Light." Effortlessly he shifted his weight to one foot, sweeping his arm to aid him in turning and propelling his foot almost straight up. He completed the spin and landed back on both feet. "No hands, Light." he teased. "I'm one of the best."_

_"I want to try!" Light protested. He tried to mimic what L had done, turning on one foot and kicking back, but overbalanced as he tried to finish the spin and landed hard on his butt._

_L came over, laughing quietly, and offered him a hand. "Less than two hours of practice versus years, Light. I fell down at first too."_

xXx

When the capoeira lesson had finished, both had simply collapsed on the couch. Light realized that they had likely fallen asleep, and smiled fondly. L was sprawled on top of him, his breath slow and even against Light's collarbone. As Light watched, he blinked sleepily and looked up.

"That was more tiring that I thought." he said, smiling.

"I was just getting ready to wake you up." Light said. "You won't sleep tonight if we nap now."

"Too late." L said, sitting up. "I feel very awake now. What time is it?"

"Nine, at least. We should be getting ready to go to bed, not sleeping on the couch. I gave up sleeping on the couch after you finally took off those handcuffs." Light said, referencing the many times he had gone to sleep while L stayed up and worked on the Kira Case.

"But Light, I'm not tired!" L whined. Light considered him for a moment, and grinned.

"Well, then… I'll just have to make you tired."

xXx

When Light awoke the next morning, he was curved around L, one arm draped over the other boy's waist. L had willingly gone to sleep after a while, and was now snuggled contentedly against Light beneath the covers. Light kissed the nape of his neck and relaxed back into his pillow, not ready to get up yet. He found himself absently considering Taro Kagami. Near had allowed the boy to go free, realizing that Taro wasn't a bad person. He was a misled child who knew that what he had done was wrong, and Near recognized that. Light realized that it was lucky that Near knew of the influence the notebook had over him, or he might be sitting in prison with Emi right now. The girl had been convicted for being brainwashed into following Kira. She would serve life in prison for the murders she had caused. She hadn't been upset, needing time to recover from Drevan's death and to come to terms with what she had done. She knew that prison was the consequence of her actions.

There was still a measure of guilt for what he had put L through, that week of imprisonment in Drevan's house. Even if he had saved L's life in the end, he still felt bad for putting them in that situation in the first place.

"If I had lost you…" he whispered into his sleeping boyfriend's ear, "I don't know what I would have done…" He closed his eyes, trying to imagine a world without L, but found himself unable to. But like he told L sometime last night as they waited for sleep, it didn't matter anymore. They were alive, and together, and that was all that they needed.

Light's attention was distracted as L murmured something in his sleep, shifting slightly. His eyes opened, and Light smiled. "Good morning."

"Good morning…" L replied, yawning. "What's going on today?"

Light considered for a moment. "Hmm… Well, I was going to give you your Christmas present…" L tensed involuntarily, and Light's expression softened. "A real Christmas present, L. And I promise it's not cake."

"Really?" L asked.

"Really. If it is, I give you permission to kick me across the room again."

L blinked, and nodded. Light had to be telling the truth, because being kicked would definitely aggravate all the bruises from yesterday, and that would hurt quite a lot. He followed Light's example, getting up and dressed before following the auburn-haired boy into the living room.

Light picked up a brightly wrapped package that was sitting on the edge of the coffee table, presenting it to L. L sat down on the end of the sofa, raising an eyebrow and beginning to pick the paper off. When it lay open in his hands, he stared down in surprise.

It was a book, a rather nice hardback one. The title read _Personal Nightmare_. L flipped it open, puzzled, and began to read the inside of the book jacket. It was about a policeman whose family was killed by a serial murderer. Knowing that the policeman was after him for revenge, the murderer continued to taunt and pick at him, leaving him notes and clues, but never enough. L was intrigued. It seemed interesting, unlike many other crime novels he had read. He looked up at Light, wondering where the other had gotten the book.

"I've read it before. The writing style is really unique." Light said, smiling. "I thought you would like it. The co-authors apparently write in tandem, one as killer, and one as investigator, to make the dialogue more believable."

"Thank you, Light…" L said, closing the cover to look at the front again. He glanced at the authors' names, and froze. No way… Unlikely, but not unbelievable…

"L, what is it?" Light asked.

L began to laugh quietly, setting the book on the table where it would be out of the way. Light sat down next to the laughing raven-headed boy, wondering what was so funny. L smiled widely, and said, "That's a story for another time, Light… But a very important one. Let me read my book first, and see if it merits telling you this very important story."

Light nodded, hooking his arms around L's waist and pulling the other into his lap. "That's fine. Is it the past again?"

L nodded. "A very important piece of the past… Something that ultimately helped to shape how I was when you met me. It was the reason why I was Ryuzaki." He looked up at Light, smiling softly. "I do not understand… how this could have happened… In our past lives, neither of us would have even tried to achieve something like this." He waved an arm to indicate the apartment, as well as himself in Light's arms. "But here we are, in a situation neither of us ever would have anticipated then. If you had told me that one day I would be reincarnated and fall in love with you, I would have called you crazy. Probably would have found a way to accuse you of being Kira, too."

Light smiled as well. "We were too far apart, then. Killer and investigator, with an ocean called Kira between us. But that's not what I find strange." He leaned his head on L's. "What I don't get is how, from one life to another, you're still the most important thing in my world."

L leaned up to kiss him, before resting his head against his chest comfortably. "You are too. To me." He was quiet a moment, then said easily, "I love you, Light."

"I love you too, Lawliet. Forever."

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What was I asked? Something about a happy, Disney-fied ending? Whatever. I like happy endings, so sue me. :)

Believe it or not, L and Light aren't even in the epilogue!

ONE MORE...  
Li


	26. Epilogue: LAMM and Loose Ends

Epilogue: The Los Angeles MM Case and other Loose Ends

Somewhere in the suburbs on the outskirts of LA, a crowd of children was playing a game of dodgeball in the street, yelling and jeering at each other in the excitement of the game. The sun was beginning to set, and all were determined to see that their team won before being called in to have dinner.

Parents began to yell names from the front porches of houses, and one by one the children trailed back to their respective homes. The game was put on hold, to be finished the following day.

Eventually only two children remained. They were best friends, and their parents tended to call them in later than the others. The younger of the two threw the abandoned dodgeball at his blond friend's head, laughing.

"Heads up, Michael!"

Michael turned, catching the ball and slinging it expertly back at the other. "You have to be faster than that, Matt!"

Michael Keen and Matthew Jennings had been best friends since they had first met, almost before they could remember. There was something that they saw in each other that most people didn't notice. What people did notice was that together, the two seemed invincible.

Matt stopped the dodgeball, sitting down on the curb at the side of the road. "We have to go back to school in a few days. Christmas break will be over and done with. No more time to play video games or hang out with you…"

"Nice to know I'm second to video games." Michael said sarcastically, sitting down next to him. "You're right though. Eighth grade sucks. I can't wait until we get to high school."

"Because after high school, we can take a trip around the world like we want, right?" Matt asked.

Michael punched the air. "Hell yes! I can't wait to see the world! I really want to go to Japan, or England. That would be awesome."

"Yeah. Japan feels, right, you know? So does England." Matt said. He was silent a moment. "Hey, Mel?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever get the feeling that you don't know everything about yourself?"

"What kind of a weird question is that?" Michael scoffed. "And why'd you call me 'Mel'?"

"That's part of it." Matt said. "You _are_ Mel, somehow. I don't really know. But I feel like the answers are in Japan."

Michael rolled his eyes. He was never sure how to respond when Matt went all cryptic on him. But he was saved from replying by their parents calling them in to dinner.

"Bye, Matt! See you tomorrow!" Michael said, starting for his own house.

"G'night, Mel!" Matt called back, and Michael chuckled. Somehow, it did sound right to be called that. He looked back towards his house, where dinner was waiting with the promise of chocolate cake afterwards, and smiled.

xXx

In the small town of Winchester, England, a boy absently kicked his feet against the low wall he was sitting on. His brother looked up curiously from where he was seated on the ground, asking, "What's the matter?"

"Eh… Nervous about the book tour, I guess. I don't know how you can be so calm about it, Ryuzaki."

Ryuzaki laughed. "Alter, all we have to do is go out there, respond to fake names and questions, and act like big-shot writers. It's not that hard!" Ryuzaki and Alter Rue were siblings, and co-writers of a crime novel that was becoming wildly popular all over the world. Under the pseudonyms Beyond Birthday and After Always, they had gotten their book published. Alter was sixteen, and Ryuzaki just a year younger, and already they were at work on another story.

"It was a good idea…" Alter said absently. "Writing _Personal Nightmare_ in alternating perspectives, and in tandem on the dialogue. You play a good serial killer, Ryu."

"It makes it like roleplay, where you just have to make sure you stay true to your character." Ryuzaki said, giggling. "And you make a damn good detective, Alter." They laughed, remembering some of their more memorable writing sessions, more than one of which their mother had interrupted. Well, when you heard your son yelling at the top of his voice, "I know you killed them!" logic dictated that you would go see what the matter was. Ryuzaki had been in the middle of responding when the door opened, and their mother was just in time to see him brandishing a pink plastic knife and declaring, "So what if I did?" They had a habit of acting out some of their more dramatic scenes before writing them down, and their mother eventually got used to it.

"So where is the book tour going, again?" Ryuzaki asked. Alter had been obsessing over the schedule for days.

"New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Tokyo… I can't think of any more off the top of my head." Alter replied. Ryuzaki leaned contentedly up against the wall.

"I want to see LA and Tokyo!" he declared. "This is going to be so much fun! We get to meet fans, and sign autographs, and be famous!"

Alter smiled. "You enjoy the spotlight far too much."

"What can I say? I'm an attention whore." Ryuzaki giggled.

"Definitely." Alter agreed. "I wonder sometimes the lengths you would go to get someone's attention."

"Not the ones our guy goes to." Ryuzaki said, referring to their character. "Even if I play a fabulous serial killer, I know murder is wrong."

Alter hugged him. "That's good, Ryu." He looked up at the sky for a moment, then grinned. "Japan _will_ be fun, won't it, little brother? I heard that L was in Japan to solve the new Kira case. What if he comes to our book signing? What if _L's read our book_? That would be amazing!"

"We wouldn't know it's him. No one knows what he looks like." Ryuzaki smiled.

"He's probably some old guy." Alter said thoughtfully. "We should write about that next. A mystery person that everyone's trying to find, but he's right in front of them."

"Sounds like fun. I call being the mystery person!"

"Ryuzaki, no fair!"

"But I called it…! I wanna pretend to be L!"

Alter sighed. "Fine. You could probably pull it off, too." Ryuzaki grinned happily, and Alter sighed. His little brother had to be the most childish person on the face of the earth. But Alter loved him anyway, and together, their writing was magic. "So Ryu, did you see the other day in town? There's a fortune-teller in that little shop there on the corner. I think she just got to town."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Alter said. "She seems nice enough. I heard her name's Momi. Want to go get our fortunes told before we leave for Japan? Could be fun."

"Sure!" Ryuzaki said happily. "Maybe the future can tell us if we get to meet L!"

"Now you're just being silly…"

xXx

Taro Kagami walked slowly down the street, Ryuk at his heels.

"So what are you going to do?" the Shinigami asked. "You can still see the six of us. Won't that get to be a bother?"

"No." Taro said. "What if you told me stories about the past? Like Drevan's past, and the whole story of the original Kira? You could tell me Shinigami stories too!" He looked around. "Even if I were to write them down, people would see them as nothing but fiction. It might be fun to write about Shinigami and Death Notes. What do you think, Ryuk?"

"Heheheh… Well, it certainly wouldn't be boring." Ryuk said. "If you want to write that kind of stories, go ahead. I'll tell you some tales that will make your hair curl…"

Taro grinned, watching people on the street walk by. They could know, without actually _knowing_. Death Notes would be a fantasy to them, the whim of a childish mind. But if he could write the real story of the real Kira, with the information from the Shinigami who saw everything as it happened… That would be the coolest thing.

"An author, huh?" he mused, turning to grin at Ryuk. "Who would have thought?"

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Everyone who asked about Mello, Beyond, or Matt, this is for you. :) And it also shows where Momi went, ne? Taro's future is based off the ending of the pilot chapter.

If you want to see the picture of Mello as a kid, it's in HTR13 on the opposite page from the one of Near as a grown-up.

I hope you all enjoyed this story. It's been a wild ride, definitely. I have two in the works actually, so check my profile on Saturday or so to see if I've gotten them up. There's a serious one and a silly one, so you can choose your poison. :)

Thank you, everyone who made it this far. I love you guys!  
Love, hugs, cake, and strawberry jam!  
Li


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